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Kinky Woos College Students
Independent candidate stumps at UT
Lilly Rockwell | American-Statesman | 09/29/2005

Texas writer, musician and gubernatorial hopeful Kinky Friedman made a campaign stop at the University of Texas campus Wednesday and was treated to a rock star's welcome.

More than 100 students took pictures with their camera phones, wore "Longhorn for Kinky" T-shirts and stood in line for autographs.

The cigar-chomping candidate's jabs at Gov. Rick Perry, his bashing of the proposed ban on gay marriage and his promises to legalize marijuana and gambling drew cheers from some of the people gathered at the UT Tower.

"Remember, I'm not running against Rick Perry; I'm running against apathy," Friedman told the crowd.

Fighting the traditionally low turnout of college students is vital to the success of his campaign, said Friedman, who is running as an independent.

Dean Barkley, a former U.S. senator who helped lead professional wrestler Jesse Ventura's grass-roots campaign to a surprising victory in the Minnesota governor's race in 1998, is managing Friedman's campaign.

Barkley said Friedman needs almost twice as many people to vote in 2006 as in 2002, when turnout was 29 percent.

"If we can get you kids, I mean, not kids but young adults, out to vote as Jesse did in '98, we can win this," Barkley told the crowd.

Already, some students say, they are taking Friedman seriously.

"I like that he really wants to get this age group involved," 22-year-old Shannon Kelly said. She read Kinky's newest book and plans to vote for him.

The Friedman campaign is counting on students to do the legwork needed to get his name on the ballot, Barkley said.

Just after the March 7 primary, the Friedman campaign will mobilize people across the state to get the 45,000 signatures needed for an independent to get on the ballot.
--
lrockwell@statesman.com

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