Judge Says Court Lacked Jurisdiction To Allow Strayhorn On Ballot As “Grandma”; Strayhorn Drops Suit
Vince Leibowitz | Jul 27, 2006 | Comments 1
Carole Keeton Strayhorn evidently got the message today that her lawsuit to force the Secretary of State to list her on the November ballot as “Grandma” is as asinine as it sounds; she dropped the lawsuit shortly after a state district judge said she lacked jurisdiction to order the state to comply with the Comprtoller’s request.
Strayhorn, a Republican running as an independent for Texas Governor, was hoping to boost name recognition with the “grandma” monkier. Her last statewide race was run as “Carole Keeton Rylander,” and was before her marriage to current husband, Ed Strayhorn.
Judge Suzanne Covington evidently thought little of the suit as well:
Judge Suzanne Covington questioned lawyers for Strayhorn and the Texas secretary of state before announcing her decision. She drew laughs in court when she asked what would prevent her from requesting that she be listed on the ballot as Suzanne “Best Judge in the Land” Covington.
Secretary of State Roger Williams ruled that “Grandma” was a slogan, not a nickname, and was this not permitted on the ballot. For several years, Strayhorn has refered to herself in political advertisements and on the stump as “One Tough Grandma.
Strayhorn said she never tried to get “Grandma” on the ballot before because she didn’t know it could be done.
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Filed Under: Rylanderlicious
Some wag suggested that she should go by the name “Ex-wife”