Et tu, Texas?

[Nbadan]

Is Texas turning blue? Poll shows Sen. Clinton faring well there
Et tu, Texas?

That just might be the reaction of President Bush to a new poll in the Lone Star State that shows Republicans at risk of losing his home state in the 2008 presidential contest.

Texas hasn't gone Democratic in a presidential race in more than three decades. But the survey shows Republican contender Sen. John McCain essentially tied with Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton among registered voters, with McCain at 36% and Clinton at 35% in a head-to-head contest. Republican Rudy Giuliani and Clinton also are essentially tied, at 32%-31%.

The telephone survey of 1,002 adults was taken from April 26 to May 7 by the Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan civic group. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points. An executive summary of the report, which has been shared with USA TODAY, is due to be posted here later this afternoon.

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama fared less well than Clinton, though more voters were undecided. McCain beat Obama 32%-25%. Giuliani defeated Obama 32%-22%.

USA Today


Looks like wing-nut attacks on Hitlary are backfiring, instead leading to greater name recognition among TX conservatives. For instance, 40% of Texas respondants didn't know much about Obama to form an opinion.

[Marcus Bryant]

Not that surprising given the state's demographics. Gore hit the mid-40s in the last two presidential elections, IIRC.