I gotta say, I was kinda tickled when Hank Gilbert, a Democratic candidate for Texas Governor, chose Pokerati as the place to first publish his op-ed in which he declared not only his staunch support for fully legal poker in Texas, but also expressed a commitment to making gambling a significant issue in the upcoming governor’s race.

But alas … from the also poker-friendly Kinky Friedman’s Facebook page:

Texans For Kinky 2010 Here: Hank Gilbert has stepped down from the Democratic Primary Governor’s race. We welcome all of Hank Gilbert’s supporters to join Texans for Kinky 2010. Together we can make power to the people a reality.

Turns out that Hank has decided to run for a more powerful position in Texas politics — agricultural commissioner. Here’s his website. And though the Hankster has thrown his support to Farouk Shami, here is Kinky Friedman’s book-selling gubernatorial campaign website.