<P> In 1976, Richards ran against and defeated a three - term incumbent on the four - member Travis County, Texas Commissioners' Court; she took 81.4 percent of the vote against Libertarian opponent Laurel Freeman to win re-election in 1980 . During this time, her marriage ended, in part because of the strain of politics on the relationship . Richards' drinking became more pronounced, and she sought and completed treatment for alcoholism in 1980 . </P> <P> After incumbent Texas State Treasurer Warren G. Harding (no relation to the U.S. president) became mired in legal troubles in 1982, Richards won the Democratic nomination for that post . Winning election against a Republican opponent in November that year, Richards became the first woman elected to statewide office in more than fifty years . In 1986, she was re-elected treasurer without opposition . Richards was a popular and proactive treasurer who worked to maximize the return of Texas state investments . Richards said that when she took office, the Treasury Department was run something like a 1930s country bank, with deposits that didn't earn interest . At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Richards delivered one of the nominating speeches for nominee Walter Mondale, and she campaigned actively for the Mondale / Ferraro ticket in Texas, even though President Ronald Reagan enjoyed great popularity in her state . </P> <P> Richards' keynote address to the 1988 Democratic National Convention put her in the national spotlight . The speech was highly critical of the Reagan Administration and then - Vice President George H.W. Bush . Her address was notable for including several humorous remarks displaying her down - home Texas charm such as: "I'm delighted to be here with you this evening, because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like", "Poor George, he can't help it . He was born with a silver foot in his mouth", "...two women in 160 years is about par for the course . But if you give us a chance, we can perform . After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did . She just did it backwards and in high heels ." and "When we pay billions for planes that won't fly, billions for tanks that won't fire, and billions for systems that won't work, that old dog won't hunt . And you don't have to be from Waco to know that when the Pentagon makes crooks rich and doesn't make America strong, that it's a bum deal ." Richards' convention address has been cited by rhetorical experts as a historically significant speech . The speech set the tone for her political future . In 1989, with co-author Peter Knobler, she wrote her autobiography, Straight from the Heart: My Life in Politics and Other Places . </P> <P> In 1990, Texas' Republican governor, Bill Clements, decided not to run for re-election to a third nonconsecutive term . Richards painted herself as a sensible progressive, and won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against Attorney General (and former U.S. representative) Jim Mattox of Dallas and former Governor Mark White of Houston . Mattox ran a particularly abrasive campaign against Richards, accusing her of having had drug problems beyond alcoholism . The Republicans nominated colorful multi-millionaire rancher Clayton W. Williams, Jr., of Fort Stockton and Midland . Republican political activist Susan Weddington of San Antonio, a Williams supporter, placed a black wreath that read "Death to the Family" at the door of Richards's campaign headquarters in Austin . After a series of legendary gaffes by Williams (most notably a joke about the crime of rape), Richards narrowly won on November 6, 1990 by a margin of 49 - 47 percent . Libertarian Party candidate Jeff Daiell drew 3.3 percent in an effort that included television spots and considerable personal campaigning . Richards was inaugurated governor the following January . </P>

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