Politics in Texas is supposed to be a contact sport. Some have called it a blood sport when it gets particularly nasty.

How, then, does one explain the niceness of the Texas land commissioner contest between Republican incumbent Jerry Patterson and Democratic challenger Hector Uribe?

These two fine men are eschewing much of the negativity that accompanies campaigns. They're being downright friendly with each other, in fact. Patterson even has volunteered to fly Uribe to campaign events around the state; Uribe hasn't yet taken Patterson up on his offer.

To the extent, though, that Texans are paying attention to this off-year election, they're focusing on the governor's race, which has been anything but positive. Republican Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic challenger Bill White have been trading punches for several weeks now as the campaign heads down the stretch to the Nov. 2 finish line.

Former Texas Senate colleagues Patterson and Uribe, though, have taken an entirely different tack.

Patterson said during an interview that he considers Uribe to be a good friend and a "nice guy."

It's heartening to know that political opponents can campaign without the venom and invective that has poisoned much of the discourse in recent years.

But it's just too bad that so few Texans are paying attention to what these guys have to say. They're zeroing in instead on the mud fight that has erupted at the top of the ballot.

Well, as many politicians say with apparent sincerity: There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Jerry Patterson and Hector Uribe, though, deserve pats on the back for the civility they've demonstrated.