The poll, conducted Aug. 22, shows Perry leading White, 49 percent to 41 percent. Three percent of the respondents said they prefer another candidate, and 7 percent were undecided.
The results are similar to Rasmussen polls in June and July, which showed the governor leading the former Houston mayor by 8 and 9 points, respectively.
White faces a tough race in a state that trends conservative Republican, especially given the national electoral mood.
Seventy-six percent (76%) of Texas voters consider Perry a conservative. Forty-two percent (42%) view White as a liberal, while another 29% describe him as a moderate.
Despite the perceived differences in ideology, 51% of voters in the state describe Perry’s political views as mainstream, and 52% say the same of White’s views. Thirty-three percent (33%) brand Perry’s views as extreme, and 29% think White’s are extreme.
Rasmussen polled 500 likely voters. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.5 percent.
President Barack Obama is planning a visit to Austin to pass the hat for the Democratic National Committee and then again in Houston for the Democratic Senatorial Committee. While Obama remains popular with the Democratic base his visit puts the Democrat’s candidate for governor, Bill White, in a tough spot. White is hoping to carry moderate Texans and disaffected Republicans in the Fall. Obama’s not popular with these Texans. White spokeswoman Katy Bacon told the Statesman White “has no plans to attend” either of the Texas fundraisers with Obama.
“Rick Perry needs to grow a pair!” — PMT’s Michael Olson, on Gov. Rick Perry’s unwillingness to debate his opponent.
It’s time once again for the Public Media Texas political podcast. Give a listen to Texas Public Radio’s Terry Gildea and PMT’s Michael Olson as they discuss the state of politics in the Lone Star state.
Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Bill White called for more input on border policy from local officials and people living along the border on a recent trip to El Paso.
“I think that the threat is worse, and I think the threat has become worse under Gov. (Rick) Perry. I don’t blame all of that on him. There are circumstances across the border he cannot control,” White told El Paso’s KFOX.
White also drew a line in the sand on the Arizona’s anti-immigration law. He opposes it. Perry said it’s not the “right direction” for Texas to “turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien.”
Bill White launched a new phase in his campaign to become the next governor of Texas by encouraging his supporters to take part in his campaign through canvassing, answering phone calls and other campaigning efforts.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is calling on his challenger Bill White (D) to drop out of the race to be the next Texas Governor.
In a statement issued by his campaign, Perry said, “By his own admission, Bill White intervened regarding a contract given to BTEC, a company he had personal financial ties with, to provide generators for the Houston Coastal Water Authority following Hurricane Rita’s landfall in 2005. If this is true, and Bill White did unethically steer taxpayer dollars to a company he had a personal financial stake in, I am calling on him to immediately resign from the race for governor.
White countered Perry’s assertion with his own statement, “Rick Perry is manufacturing phony issues in an attempt to hide from debates. I had no financial interest in BTEC during the time of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The water supply for more than half a million people and our refineries was at risk. I was a part of a crisis team that took action, and I think the proof is in the results.” White said.
“Perry took no issue with my leadership in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita until this election year. Career politician Rick Perry is doing anything to avoid a debate because he doesn’t want to talk about how he’s nearly doubled state spending, doubled state debt and how Texas is facing an $18 billion dollar shortfall, the largest in Texas history.”
“We need more federal support for border security and border regions. We need more support for local police and sheriffs, who can enforce criminal laws. National Guard troops are not a long-term substitute for sustained federal commitment to border communities” — TX Gov. candidate Bill White (D) said in a statement to PMT
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Related PMT: Obama to Send National Guard Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border
Public Media Texas is based in Austin. We embrace our local presence in Austin with our hyper-local East Austin site 78702.org. We contribute to the discussion of the environment in the Southwest and the state of politics in Texas. We also seek to understand the dynamic between the U.S. and Mexico along our shared border. Along the way we search for artistic expressions that reflect and provide more perspective on the Lone Star state.
