Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry is the poster child of incumbents. He’s running for this third full term, and he served a half-term before that when George W. Bush left for Washington and Lt. Gov. Perry became governor.
If 2010 is about throwing out officeholders just because they’re officeholders, and not just about voting out Democrats, then Perry may be in for a Texas-sized fight against Democrat Bill White, the former mayor of Houston.
The latest poll by Public Policy Polling says it may be so. It has Perry and White even at 43 percent apiece. Perry’s camp points out that PPP polls for Democratic clients and has grossly underestimated Perry in past surveys. White’s campaign counters that a PPP poll in late winter showed Perry leading 48 percent to 42 percent, so there’s been movement towards White. It’s also true that Rasmussen, whose June 8 poll of the race had Perry winning 48 percent to 40 percent, has been accused of slanting things for conservatives.
Perry won his primary race this year over Sen. Kate Bailey Hutchison at least in part by successfully hanging the millstone of “DC career politician” around her neck. Now he and other Republican candidates will try to make the state’s elections as much a referendum on Washington as on their own records in Texas.
Full Story: Texas’ Rick Perry is in for a big fight – Southern Political Report