The "Grandma" name game is over. Independent candidate for governor and Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn dropped a lawsuit to get "Grandma" added to her name on the election ballot Thursday, after a district judge ruled she didn't have the jurisdiction to hear the case.
"I'm almost certain that the reason she did this is that she feels like it's not that important, and she doesn't want to take all the time that it would take to go through the appeals," said Strayhorn's attorney Roy Minton.
Strayhorn sued Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams earlier this month for what she said was his failure to comply with state election code. She called his ruling a political decision resulting from his appointment by Gov. Rick Perry, whom Strayhorn considers her main opponent in November's race.
Spokesmen for both Williams and Strayhorn said it was time to "move on." Strayhorn is coming up on important campaign months and needs more time to focus on election issues, said her spokesman Mark Sanders.
Williams had said "Grandma" was more a campaign slogan - part of the "One Tough Grandma" moniker she has used since her successful bid for state comptroller in 2002 - than a nickname. In a written statement released earlier this month, he pointed out that Strayhorn never used the term "Grandma" on any letterhead sent to his office and that it appears only in her campaign literature.
"Ms. Strayhorn did not like what the laws allowed for, but the laws are what they are," said Williams' spokesman Scott Haywood.
Strayhorn has gone by several different last names throughout her more than 30 years in politics because of two marriages during her time in office. As an independent candidate, she has expressed concern about voter recognition of her current name and instead hoped to rely on what she says has been her nickname since her first grandchild was born 12 years ago.
Democrat Chris Bell, independent candidate Kinky Friedman and Libertarian James Werner are also running for governor. Williams allowed Friedman to be listed by his nickname, "Kinky," on the ballot, but ruled that his real name, Richard, must also be included.
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