TX-Gov: Perry's below 50%

[Moooooo]

Rasmussen:

TEXAS GOVERNOR
Rick Perry (R) 40%
Scott McClellan’s Mom (I) 31%
Chris Bell (D) 13%
Kinky Friedman 9%

Rick Perry (R) 38%
Scott McClellan’s Mom (I) 29%
Bob Gammage (D) 18%
Kinky Friedman 8%

[Gabu]

Wow, Strayhorn has more support than I would have thought.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Haha, it'll be funny to watch Scott try to dodge questions about his mom who is threatening GOP control of the Texas governorship.

[riceowl]

A) I have no doubt Strayhorn would rule as a Republican, if not by party then by stances.

B) The liberal candidates are only mustering 22% of the vote so far...which is weird.

and C) Scott's already said he endorses her.

McClellan backs mom's campaign
By PETER BAKER
THE WASHINGTON POST

WACO, Texas - No one may be more loyal to President Bush than his press secretary, Scott McClellan. But there was McClellan cruising out of his hotel not far from the president's ranch this weekend en route to Austin to meet with a candidate running against the Bush-endorsed governor.

Of course, if McClellan didn't see his mama, she'd be mighty disappointed.

McClellan has been licking envelopes for his mother's political campaigns since he was a young Texas buck, but now Carole Keeton Strayhorn's decision to run for governor as an independent has put him in the unusual position of splitting with the president for whom he speaks. After her announcement last month, McClellan announced that he of course supports her - but Bush is sticking with Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

If the situation has made things awkward for the president and the press secretary, neither is letting on. For the moment, the campaign is young. But if Strayhorn makes it a real race in the fall, there could come a moment when the governor wants help from his party's leader.

"I don't think it's awkward for anybody," Strayhorn said Saturday as she prepared to see her "baby boy" between campaign stops. "Everybody respects what the other one's doing. We've all got our jobs to do."

"In terms of the president and my mother, they were friends before this race, they're still friends today, and they'll be friends after the race, regardless of what happens," said McClellan, who hitched a ride here on Air Force One when the president came for a ranch respite. "She made the decision she made because she felt it was the right thing to do."

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

B) The liberal candidates are only mustering 22% of the vote so far...which is weird.

Yeah, that is weird, Texas has liberals?

[nini2287]

I'd vote for Kinky in this race most likely.

[ATFFL]

B) The liberal candidates are only mustering 22% of the vote so far...which is weird.

Yeah, that is weird, Texas has liberals?

Of course.  You need something to hunt during the off seasons.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Maybe Strayhorn wasn't so crazy after all.  Wow.

[Yates]

This news is quite delightful.

[Virginian87]

Time to resurrect Jim Wright, Lloyd Bentsen, and Lyndon Johnson, or just the Texas State Democratic Party in general.

Seriously, I can't believe how far the Democrats have fallen in the Lone Star State since the 1980s.

[Sam Spade]

Interestingly, Perry's percentage has not changed any since the January poll.

As I have said before, that 40% will probably not change for him, unless he makes a big goof.  It is the social conservative/Republican (and blue dog Democrat, which explains the Gammage total) vote in the state and is solidly behind him.

What has changed is that Strayhorn is pulling greater numbers away from Kinky and the (D) nominee and has also won some undecideds for the time being.  Or it could just be some sampling thing.  These Rasmussen one-day polls I really worry about sometimes, in general.

However, I simply don't think the Democratic candidates can go any lower than this.  Once a nominee wins the primary or runoff in March or April, their totals will increase.

Still, the Democratic party in Texas is on life support, lest I have to say it again.  If it wasn't, Strayhorn would have run for their nomination (like she did in reverse in 1985).

[Virginian87]

Still, the Democratic party in Texas is on life support, lest I have to say it again. 

But why is this?  Is it just the same "they lost the values debate" stuff?

[Sam Spade]

Still, the Democratic party in Texas is on life support, lest I have to say it again. 

But why is this?  Is it just the same "they lost the values debate" stuff?

Well, it could be termed as such. 

It's really about pissing off two important Democratic voting groups in the past, rural voters and Hispanics, by running too far to the left on social issues.  In Texas, both these factions are socially conservative, esp. on abortion/gun control/gay marriage etc. issues.

Then a Governor by the name of George W. Bush runs on a platform of increasing education funding/assistance and picks up major Hispanic votes because of it.  It's become a mantra of Republican policy since (for obvious reasons).

It's also about them not getting the type of campaign funds necessary to compete in major races and a dearth of candidates who are electable statewide.  Past the Governor's race, none of the other statewide positions are really in question for the Republicans and most of the Texas Supreme Court seats (all judges are elected in Texas) are really uncontested.

As I say, when you drive most of the centrists to the other party by default, what do you expect?

[Keystone Phil]

Maybe Strayhorn wasn't so crazy after all.  Wow.

She'll turn into a joke as months go by.

[Gustaf]

The Texas Dems need to get a grip. A Minority-Majority State should not be one of the top GOP states in the country. Not saying it ought to be Democratic or anything, but they should at least be competitive on the state level.

[Sam Spade]

The Texas Dems need to get a grip. A Minority-Majority State should not be one of the top GOP states in the country. Not saying it ought to be Democratic or anything, but they should at least be competitive on the state level.

That's a deceptive figure, since roughly about 30% of the state is not registered to vote, and I doubt many of those are actual citizens.  Most of that figure is, of course, Hispanic.

Still, the Democrats are getting close to having to split the Hispanic vote in most statewide races with the Republicans.  Can't lose the white vote 70%-30% and expect to win with that and your usual 90% of blacks.

[TX_1824]

It's still a crap election with horrible candidates. Perry has upset many Republicans, but with a crazy woman running against him, an old singer and an unknown Democratic Congressional leader I don't see him losing. I'll probably vote for Kinky, because "why not"?

[Alcon]

Can someone quickly explain to me why Strayhorn is considered "crazy"?

[Sam Spade]

Can someone quickly explain to me why Strayhorn is considered "crazy"?

Tom Coburn-style foot-in-mouth problems are the main reason, imo.

Actually, she's quite intelligent otherwise, smart enough to use political parties for her own personal gain.

[Alcon]

Can someone quickly explain to me why Strayhorn is considered "crazy"?

Tom Coburn-style foot-in-mouth problems are the main reason, imo.

Actually, she's quite intelligent otherwise, smart enough to use political parties for her own personal gain.

By Tom Coburn style, do you mean just crazy right-wing stuff or "the lesbians are coming for our daughters!"-style just plain crazy stuff?

[Sam Spade]

Can someone quickly explain to me why Strayhorn is considered "crazy"?

Tom Coburn-style foot-in-mouth problems are the main reason, imo.

Actually, she's quite intelligent otherwise, smart enough to use political parties for her own personal gain.

By Tom Coburn style, do you mean just crazy right-wing stuff or "the lesbians are coming for our daughters!"-style just plain crazy stuff?

The latter.  She say stuff like "I promise there will only be one vagina on the ballot this November", highly amusing...

She's not right-wing, by the way.  Truth is, I really don't know where she stands on the issues.  I'm not very sure she does. 

Her chance to win comes if the Democrats in the state desert their own party en masse for her (meaning the combination of Bell and Kinky finish below 20%).

[Gustaf]

The Texas Dems need to get a grip. A Minority-Majority State should not be one of the top GOP states in the country. Not saying it ought to be Democratic or anything, but they should at least be competitive on the state level.

That's a deceptive figure, since roughly about 30% of the state is not registered to vote, and I doubt many of those are actual citizens.  Most of that figure is, of course, Hispanic.

Still, the Democrats are getting close to having to split the Hispanic vote in most statewide races with the Republicans.  Can't lose the white vote 70%-30% and expect to win with that and your usual 90% of blacks.

That's a valid point, but still, a state with only a slim white majority should not be as one-party as Texas is.

[TX_1824]

The Texas Dems need to get a grip. A Minority-Majority State should not be one of the top GOP states in the country. Not saying it ought to be Democratic or anything, but they should at least be competitive on the state level.

That's a deceptive figure, since roughly about 30% of the state is not registered to vote, and I doubt many of those are actual citizens.  Most of that figure is, of course, Hispanic.

Still, the Democrats are getting close to having to split the Hispanic vote in most statewide races with the Republicans.  Can't lose the white vote 70%-30% and expect to win with that and your usual 90% of blacks.

That's a valid point, but still, a state with only a slim white majority should not be as one-party as Texas is.

We don't have a white majority anymore.

[jimrtex]

TEXAS GOVERNOR
Rick Perry (R) 40%
Scott McClellan’s Mom (I) 31%
Chris Bell (D) 13%
Kinky Friedman 9%

Rick Perry (R) 38%
Scott McClellan’s Mom (I) 29%
Bob Gammage (D) 18%
Kinky Friedman 8%

If the Democrats stay below 20%, they will have the option of not holding primaries, but can use conventions like the Libertarians do.  They only need 5% for any statewide office to maintain official status and avoid petitioning to get on the ballot.

[jimrtex]

I did not know Carol Keeton Strayhorn was Scott McClellan's mother....

She was elected Mayor of Austin as Carole McClellan, ran for Railroad Commissioner and Comptroller as Carole Keeton Rylander, and announced in early 2003 that she was Carole Keeton Strayhorn after marrying her high school sweetheart 45 years after he first proposed.