Perry leads in early polling for Governor's race

San Antonio Express-News:

Gov. Rick Perry leads U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison by double digits in their race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, according to a new statewide poll by the Texas Lyceum.

But a large group of Texans remain undecided in the expected showdown between the state’s top two Republicans in the GOP primary next March.

“With nine months to go before the election, it is clear that the majority of Texans remain undecided,” said Daron Shaw, University of Texas at Austin government professor, who, with James Henson, conducted the poll. “Although Governor Perry enjoys a lead with those who intend to participate in the Republican primary for governor, the fact that 45 percent of those polled have yet to choose a candidate shows that this is still anyone’s race.”

The poll, released Wednesday morning, shows Perry with a 33-21 percent lead over the state’s senior senator.

When it comes to job performance, Texans give high marks to President Barack Obama, Hutchison and Perry — with Hutchison and Obama almost tied and both slightly outpacing the governor.

The Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan, nonprofit statewide leadership organization, conducted the poll June 5–12, surveying nearly 1,000 Texans via telephone. Participants who indicated they were "certain" or "probably going" to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary were asked candidate preference questions. The margin of error is plus or minus three percent.

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My recollection of this polling organization is it tends to skew to the left politically. The high standing for Obama suggest a leftward tilt since his nationwide rating is below the rating given in a more conservative Texas.

The poll does suggest the race is a long way from the minds of most Texans. At this point the odds favor Gov. Perry. If Hutchison pulls ahead she would still be favored to defeat any Democrat in the race. By the time of the election the Democrats are likely to be further in the hole as people become more acquainted with the failures and screw ups of the Obama administration.