According to a Wall Street Journal article cited by the Burnt Orange Report (burntorangereport.com), on October 4, the governor's race in Texas currently looks like this:
Rick Perry (R) 40.1%
Chris Bell (D) 27.2%
Kinky Friedman (I) 18%
Of course, Perry has some competition for the GOP nomination, and there has been word of other Democrats jumping in, but that's not the real story. Kinky Friedman is at 18%!
Friedman is a minor celebrity, though less minor in his native Texas, and his name recognition, combined with a good team (made up of lots of ex-Ventura guys), a reform message, and two unimpressive major party candidates, seems to be paying off.
I've seen Friedman interviewed, and have always been impressed by him. He's got alot of the "common man" appeal that Jesse Ventura had, without the huge chip on his shoulder. His politics are pretty down the center, but hard to characterize.
I've said it about John McCain, and I'll say it about the Kinkster now - I may not agree with all of his principles, but at least he has some. Were I a Texan, I know who I'd vote for. And it looks like alot of real Texans have made the same choice.
In a race that the Democrats are almost sure to lose, we could do worse.