"Why the hell not?" Kinky runs again

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Veteran entertainer and former gubernatorial candidate, Kinky Friedman, is giving it a go again.

He announced that he's running for governor as a Democrat in 2010 and compared himself to the likes of Anne Richards, Barack Obama  and John F. Kennedy, Jr.

"It's about exciting people, inspiring people," said Friedman."It's what Abraham Lincoln said about having a public sentiment behind and idea."

Friedman said "he saw the light" after the race he lost as an Independent in 2006. As a Democrat, he believes he can take home the gold.

"Rick and Kay are what I like to call the clash of the plastic titans," he said. "And, that thing I think is going to leave a lot of people in Texas not real proud."

Ross Ramsey, with the nonprofit agency Texas Tribune, said Friedman's main hurdle will be getting people to take him seriously.

"Not necessarily by design, but he's become kind of a novelty candidate," he said."Novelty candidates have a hard time; you've got to turn a corner where people take you seriously."

Friedman said he still plans to be himself. However, he said one of the roles of a governor is to appoint people who can carry out the state's priorities for the people of Texas. He said he believes he can do that.

"If the Democrats are smart, we need to do something new or different," said Friedman. "We're offering that new model to bring these customers back to the showroom."

Outside of his infamous one-liners, Friedman said he also has strong priorities. Those include pay raises for teachers, dissolving the TAKS test, a moratorium on increases in insurance premiums and an abuse commission to deal with the Texas Youth Commission, state schools and death row.

As to where the state will get the money to fund his ideas, he said that is the least of his worries.

"We always come up with the money," said Friedman. "It's just about prioritizing."

Friedman's main opponent in the Democratic primary will be Tom Schieffer, a Democrat who served as a diplomat in the Bush administration. Kinky admitted he didn't know much about his competitor but said Texas doesn't need another diplomat.

"I don't want to be a rich guy who flies around in private jets," said Friedman. "I'm a Southwest kind of guy. I'm not rich. I'm not connected politically, and I want to prove that someone like me can win."

When Freidman ran for governor in 2006 against Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell and fellow Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn, he finished fourth with 13 percent of the vote.