Latest Survey Suggests Texans Still Unsure About 2010 Election

Published July 9, 2009 at 2:04 p.m.

Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services, UT Austin.A recent statewide survey shows that Governor Rick Perry is still the favored candidate versus Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in next year's Republican primary—though not by much. The poll, conducted by UT Austin's Department of Government and the Texas Politics Project, found that Perry has a 12-point lead over Hutchison, with 27% of likely voters still uncommitted.

"The much anticipated match-up between Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison is proving to be a close one," said Texas Politics Project Director James Henson, one of the directors behind the survey. "While the governor has pulled ahead in this and other recent polls, the race is still apparently very close, and a lot of people have yet to make up their minds."

Other findings from this latest survey:

• President Obama is a "highly polarizing figure" in Texas — 82% of Republicans expressed some disapproval his performance, while 83% of Democrats expressed some approval. Both Perry and Obama received approval ratings in the low 40s
• The Democratic primary is still anyone's guess, as a strong contender has yet to emerge. Kinky Friedman, the highest polling candidate, scored only 12% of likely votes, while former Ambassador Tom Schieffer barely registered at 2%. Nearly two-thirds of likely voters still remain undecided.
• Over two-fifths of Texans favor allowing "some" illegal immigrants to stay in the country; another two-fifths are opposed to the idea
• One of the more surprising results, given that Texas skews heavily socially conservative, found that almost a third of Texans support gay marriage, while another third supports civil unions for gay couples
• When asked to list the top problem facing the nation, respondents overwhelmingly chose the economy (29%), with most of the rest of the votes going to sub-issues like unemployment and the national debt (15%). Political corruption ranked fourth at 12%
• 40% of Texans favor allowing full gambling in the state
• Nearly two-thirds would support the proposed ban on smoking in public spaces

The survey, which you can find in its entirety online, was drawn from interviews with 924 people, almost half of whom had a high school education or less.

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