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Forget cowboy hats, wide vistas, or the mileage on the typical F-350 ranch truck. The biggest thing in Texas is the state’s outsized sense of identity. Ever since the Battle of the Alamo immortalized Davy Crockett, the Lone Star State and its residents have loomed larger than life in popular mythology. Texas has its own rugged archetype in Hollywood, its own ethnic cuisines, and its own “national” beer and magazine. No state is better known as a cultural standout.

In Austin, where state identity is the manna of politics, governors have long upheld the tradition of naming worthy outsiders “honorary Texans”—a title that Crockett, a Tennessee native who died fighting for Texas, would have deserved. Foreign dignitaries, actors, and musicians have been the most popular picks, though some governors have gotten more creative. (Check out the stories behind 10 of the more unconventional picks.) Ann Richards named a breast cancer victim and a women’s basketball star. George W. Bush named a Catholic nun and an insurance lobbyist. And Rick Perry named Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin.

Though politics always seems to play a role in Texan identity, Perry appears unique among governors in honoring so many ideologues. A detailed search of newspaper archives reveals only a handful of past honorary Texans who could be considered partisans, the closest being William Hague, the leader of Great Britain’s Conservative Party, who was named by Bush. But unlike the former president, who also honored Bob Dylan and a Democratic congressman, Perry hasn’t balanced his picks with people who are obviously from the other side of the aisle.

“Rick Perry believes being a Texan means being a right-wing blowhard,” notes the Houston Press. A lot of non-Texans now agree. Under Perry, the state’s identity has become smaller and less inclusive. And for a place where expansiveness is a point of pride, that’s about as close as you can get to an identity crisis.

Here’s a list of honorary Texans named by Perry and seven former governors, as culled from news clips:

RICK PERRY, Republican (2000-present)

Sarah Palin, Alaska governor and tea party fave

Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio host

Glenn Beck, conservative TV personality

Sean Hannity, conservative commentator and Fox TV host

Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York City

Yang Jiechi, Chinese ambassador

Sunil Dutt, Bollywood actor and member of the Indian parliament

Russell Crowe, actor best known for his role in Gladiator

Chris Knight, country music star

Serge Borlee, Lance Armstrong’s Belgian bodyguard

Dhani Jones, linebacker who played for Cincinnati Bengals

Pete Sampras, tennis pro

GEORGE W. BUSH, Republican (1995-2000)

Bob Dylan, musician and ’60s counterculture icon

Jonathan Ledgard, Economist correspondent

John Bruton, Irish Prime Minister

Jean Chretien, Canadian Prime Minister

William Hague, leader of Great Britain’s Conservative Party

Bob Borbridge, premier of Queensland, Australia

Chip Taylor, singer best known for “Wild Thing”

Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, Cypriot envoy

Carl Leubsdorf, Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News

Albert Jennings, insurance lobbyist

Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan

Alexander Downer, Australian foreign minister

Sister Gertrude Levy, Catholic nun

Rep. G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, US Congressman (D-Miss.)

ANN RICHARDS, Democrat (1991-95)

Christopher Berry Green, descendant of the Londoner who rented an office to the Republic of Texas in 1842 for its British diplomatic HQ

David Keltner, Assistant Deputy for Education for the Secretary of the Army

Marty Stuart, rockabilly/country star

Lionel “Skip” Meno, Texas Education Commissioner

Rachel Hemmer, women’s basketball star

Parents of Jerry Jeff Walker, country music star

Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and future California governor

Maria Gwiazda, Polish immigrant who died of breast cancer hours before she was to become a US citizen

Ervin Duggan, President of PBS

Bob Hope, comedian, actor, and USO star

Don McLean, singer best known for “American Pie”

BILL CLEMENTS, Republican (1979-83 and 1987-91)

Deng Xioping, Chinese leader

DOLPH BRISCOE, Democrat (1973-79)

Christi Wolfington, a girl whose Texan father was unhappy that she was not born in Texas

Nicolae Ceausescu, Romanian president

JOHN CONNALLY, Democrat (1963-69)

The 100th and 442nd infantry divisions of the US Army

PRESTON SMITH, Democrat (1969-73)

Shirley MacLaine, actress, occultist, and lefty political activist

ALAN SHIVERS, Democrat (1949-57)

General Douglas MacArthur, US Army chief of staff