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Gov. Rick Perry vs. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: Many undecided on governor
June 25, 2009 |
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By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
AUSTIN -- Many Republican voters have not taken sides yet in the highly anticipated showdown between Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison for the governorship, according to poll results released Wednesday.
The Texas Lyceum Poll showed that 41 percent of Texans who intend to vote in the 2010 GOP primary election have not decided whether Perry or Hutchison will get their support.
Among Republicans who had decided, Perry was leading with 33 percent, compared with 21 percent for Hutchison.
The poll, which surveyed 860 adult Texans by telephone during June 5-12, showed that even fewer Democrats had chosen a candidate to back in the gubernatorial race. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
A nonpartisan, nonprofit group, the Texas Lyceum has been in operation since 1980. Nine months before the election, its pollsters found, many likely voters have not settled on a candidate.
One who has is El Paso Republican Tom Holmsley. He said he liked Hutchison as a senator but planned to stick with Perry for governor.
"I just think he's been good for Texas, so far. I think that continuity is important at this period of history," he said.
Hans Klingler, spokesman for the Hutchison campaign, said the poll showed Perry's support slipping from the 39 percent of voters who helped him win office in 2006.
"When Kay Bailey Hutchison begins laying out her vision for the state later this summer, we're confident that her substance will prevail over his rhetoric," Klingler said.
More than 70 percent of Democratic primary voters said they were undecided.
Among those who had decided, 10 percent favored Kinky Friedman, a humorist and former independent gubernatorial candidate.
About 6 percent chose former U.S. Ambassador Tom Schieffer, and 3 percent chose state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who announced Tuesday that she would not run for governor.
Don Williams, chairman of the Black El Paso Democrats, said he was among the undecided. "I have no idea, and right now I don't know of anybody credible" who is running, he said.
El Paso lawyer Jim Scherr counted himself among the undecided, too, but he said he hoped Democrats would take back the governor's office, a position that has been in Republican hands since 1995.
"I hope it's a Democrats' year, because Texas needs to come together to build our future," Scherr said.
The poll also asked Texans to score the performances of Perry, Hutchison and President Barack Obama.
More than 60 percent said Obama was doing a "very" or "somewhat" good job handling the economy. Nearly 70 percent said he was doing well overall as president.
Hutchison received a good score from about 65 percent of those polled, and bad scores from about 17 percent.
Nearly 60 percent approved of the job Perry is doing as governor, and 30 percent said they did not approve.
As the 2010 gubernatorial campaign continues, said Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner, the governor will emphasize his leadership record.
"After months of criticisms from Washington and tearing down Texas, (Hutchison's) numbers continue to drop," Miner said. "Governor Perry will continue to talk about creating jobs, cutting taxes, protecting private property rights, and improving education." |
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