Land Commission candidates trying to make the race humorous

Here is pop quiz for you. Who were the candidates for Texas Land Commissioner in the 2006 election and who won?

If you can’t answer it, don’t feel bad. Most Texans probably don’t even know what the office is about.

But the way Republican incumbent Jerry Patterson and his Democratic challenger Hector Uribe are going, the Land Commissioner’s race could be the most entertaining this year.

First Patterson, a Second Amendment type of guy who as a state senator in the 1990s authored the bill that allows Texans who qualify get a concealed gun permit, quipped that he should have shot Uribe when he had a chance. The two men reportedly had roles in the movie the Alamo where Uribe played the role of a member of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s army.

Now the political newsletter Quorum reports that Uribe is already up on statewide TV, prompting Patterson to respond “Go ahead Hector…I know what you’re thinkin’..,make my day,” a line borrowed from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.

Who said that politicians don’t have a sense of humor? Oh, and by the way, the answer to the pop quiz is Patterson, Democrat VaLinda Hathcox andLibertarian Michael French. And, of course, Patterson won - with 55 percent of the vote.