Pullen, Ventura, Bell, Smith, and Friedman

Randy Pullen, a Republican national committeeman from Arizona, in The New York Times, on complaints that voter laws discriminate in favor of his party: "Democrats believe they represent stupid people who are not smart enough to vote. I do not."

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, in the Waxahachie Daily Light, after Rick Perry's campaign pulled a Ventura quote critical of religion from a 1999 Playboy magazine article: "I didn't realize Gov. Perry held on to eight years' worth of Playboy. Was he reading for the articles or looking at the pictures?"

Democrat Chris Bell, in a taping for for the public television series Texas Monthly Talks: "It's one thing to talk about a big tent. It's another thing to live in one."

Gossip columnist Liz Smith, quoted in the Houston Chronicle after implying the late Gov. Ann Richards, a Democrat, was for Kinky Friedman in the Texas governor's race: "Let's just say I was mistaken."

Friedman, quoted in the Houston Chronicle on the slew of quotes that has recently kept him in the papers: "The unforeseen event is it is shoring up the support of every redneck in Texas. That's a lot of votes."