TX Gov: Perry at 40%, leads nearest opponent by 21%

[minionofmidas]

It would make the statewide map cool if each of them won a county. And the nationwide map would be more interesting if Perry won in the >30% interval.

A second place map (or better yet, an "ignoring Perry's votes" map) will be highly interesting if this race doesn't go anywhere from here - which seems likely. There's really no reason to assume any one of the three will be seized on as the Stop Perry candidate, although it's not impossible at this point.

[minionofmidas]

Strayhorn as turned in her petitions, claiming 223,000 signatures.
Friedman is claiming around 170,000.

45,000 or so is required.  But those signing can't have participated in the Democrat or Republican primaries, the Libertarian caucuses, or have signed the Green Party petition, or have signed the petition of another candidate for the office.  They also have to be registered voters.

Strayhorn had sued the Secretary of State in federal court, trying to get him to order that petitions be checked by sampling, and to accept petitions on the fly.  But the judge refused to order.  The SoS says it will take about 6 weeks to count the signatures.

So if someone signed both petitions, it counts for neither?

[minionofmidas]

Yeah, "first signature counts" makes sense I guess ... after all, someone's primary vote isn't discarded for their signing a petition afterwards either.