Misspelled Name Won't DeRail Strayhorn Gubernatorial Bid

AUSTIN, Texas – Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn's misspelled name on a campaign form won't affect her gubernatorial bid, the secretary of state's office said Thursday.

Strayhorn's lawyer said he spelled her name without the 'y' twice on her declaration of intent to run for governor, filed Jan. 2. State officials reviewed the error after discovering it Wednesday but concluded the form was valid.

Strayhorn is a Republican-turned-independent whose son, Scott McClellan, is President Bush's press secretary. To appear on the November ballot, she must collect 45,540 signatures between March 8 and May 11 from people who do not cast a ballot in any party's primary election or runoff.

She is trying to oust Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Humorist Kinky Friedman also is making an independent bid for governor, while former congressman Chris Bell and former state Supreme Court justice Bob Gammage are running in the March 7 Democratic primary.