The Gossips were concerned when Chris Bell today endorsed Boyd Richie for State Democratic Chair, saying " he is the leader who I have seen building the kind of statewide base that we will need to mobilize our party in the future and create a winning majority". Chris, the Democratic nominee for Governor, is catching hell from supporters of the other two candidates in the race for state party Chair. One of them is Glen Maxey, a former State Rep. from Austin and a leader of the Dean for President forces in the state. Glen is also a openly gay person and now the Bell Campaign is feeling the force of the organized Gay Rights movement in the state who are upset that he has decided to back a candidate in the race. The interim decision will be made at an April meeting for the SDEC in Austin and the final decision will come at the State Democratic Convention. That convention use to be called the Governor's convention when Democrats controlled the state. Sometimes the Governor got to choose the party chair, but the Gossips think that was a long time ago.

Bell campaign also woke up to the news that the former Democratic nominee for Governor, Tony Sanchez was announcing that he was supporting the State Comptroller and Independent candidate for Governor, Carol Strayhorn. The Gossips were not to surprised by that endorsement. One would think that perhaps the Comptroller's office has been kind to the Sanchez family and its banking business over the years. But to have a Democrat like Tony endorse someone else other then the Democrat is perhaps a sign of things to come. The Gossips think that the"tough old Grandma" might just be a problem for Bell and for the GOP nominee Governor Rick Perry.