It seemed odd last week when a conservative white Republican named Dave Wilson was elected in an African-American district to the Houston Community College board in Texas. “I’d always said it was a long shot,” Wilson told the local CBS affiliate. “No, I didn’t expect to win.”

But he did win , ousting a 24-year incumbent, not because of the strength of his ideas, but because Wilson led local voters to believe he’s black (thanks to my colleague Tricia McKinney for the tip).

Wilson, a gleeful political troublemaker, printed direct mail pieces strongly implying that he’s black. His fliers were decorated with photographs of smiling African-American faces – which he readily admits he just lifted off websites – and captioned with the words “Please vote for our friend and neighbor Dave Wilson.”