The secret weapon in the governor's race: Sam Houston?

Even though he was elected governor nearly 150 years ago, Sam Houston's name still holds a lot of weight in Texas. Just ask politicians, who love to compare themselves to the Texas hero — especially Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, who hope to follow in Houston's footsteps by getting elected governor as an independent.

"He's our greatest governor," humorist, author and gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman readily tells folks.

"I just love Sam Houston," said state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, also an independent candidate who routinely quotes Houston from when he defeated the Mexican army and cemented Texas' independence.

If actions speak louder than words, Friedman is on the right track with his drinking-in-the-car bit this weekend (Houston was known to enjoy a beverage now and then ... and now ... and then). Mostly, Friedman and Strayhorn are probably hoping to play on Texans' independent streak, but they surely figure having Sam Houston's ghost on their side wouldn't hurt either. That's why Strayhorn frequently quotes Houston and Friedman supporters were gathering petition signatures last week across the street from Houston's retirement hangout in Huntsville. Incumbent Rick Perry has also been known to invoke Houston: He used Houston's Bible when he took the oath of office in 2003 and often points out an 1846 portrait of Houston that hangs in the Governor's Mansion.

As the AP notes, though, candidates hope they'll last longer as governor than Houston did: He was elected in 1859, but was kicked out of office after a year and a half because he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.