Perry leads by 25 points in poll
Posted on 05/20/2002 2:29:42 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Perry leads by 25 points in poll
Results reveal ethnic divide; Sanchez says deficit is 12 points
05/20/2002
AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry enjoys a commanding 25-point lead over Democratic challenger Tony Sanchez in a matchup sharply divided along racial lines, according to a new poll of likely voters.
With the election five months away, Mr. Perry is ahead in every part of the state, including Mr. Sanchez's purported stronghold along the border and in South Texas.
Those surveyed also had a higher favorable impression of Mr. Perry than Mr. Sanchez, a Laredo banker and oilman in his first run for office.
Jeff Montgomery of Austin, a Democratic consultant and pollster whose firm conducted the survey, said the findings bode badly for Mr. Sanchez, who spent $20 million in the March primary.
"It surprised me because he [Mr. Sanchez] spent a great deal of money running in the Democratic primary, but he had a moderate-to-conservative message, which should be something the general election voters are attracted to," said Mr. Montgomery, who is not working for either campaign.
Sanchez spokesman Mark Sanders disputed the findings.
"Our numbers show a dramatic difference. We've never been further than 12 points behind the governor. We feel real good about where we are," he said.
Ray Sullivan, a Perry spokesman, said: "It is consistent with what we are seeing in our internal polling. I think it makes it clear why Mr. Sanchez has launched four negative attack ads in the past four days."
In the survey, Mr. Perry was the favorite of 59 percent, and 34 percent favored Mr. Sanchez. The rest were undecided.
The poll of 1,066 Texans who voted in at least one of the last two general elections was conducted May 7-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, meaning the result could vary that much in either direction.
The poll shows a strong split along ethnic lines.
Mr. Sanchez was the heavy favorite of Hispanics and blacks, while whites backed Mr. Perry 3 to 1.
Mr. Montgomery said the numbers indicated that Mr. Sanchez might have overplayed the ethnic issue in the primary.
"Sanchez made speaking Spanish and being Hispanic and Mexican-American and roots in that culture a pretty big part of his message, and it may be that was a little bit too strong," he said.
During the primary, Mr. Sanchez said that he was proud to be bilingual and bicultural and that diversity makes Texas great.
E-mail: gkuempel@dallasnews.com
ONE OTHER ITEM OF NOTE NOT MENTIONED HERE:Sanchez is a loser through and through. Lately (or maybe all his life), he has developed a conveniently Clintonian memory about his draft status during the Viet Nam era, claiming he cannot remember asking for a deferment, claiming he cannot remember how he got one . . . et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. A Dallas reporter, however, won't let him rest about it (goody, goody!!!) . . .
With all good wishes,
Penny (from Texas)
No, sorry FRiend. I haven't seen that. Here's a short ditty I found 
and posted this morning on the Senate race,though.
I'll see if I find something and bring it to your attn if I do!
Jeffords appearance at Kirk fund-raiser angers GOP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/686254/posts
I've seen two polls. One before the primary had Cornyn leading Kirk 43-39%. The one after the poll showed Kirk leading Cornyn 43-37%. But the oddsmakers are still giving this seat to the GOP, probably because of Texas' GOP trend and the President's influence.
Right on in the "category of LOSERS!!!" I have a close relative who is a former mayor of a Texas city. Whenever he comes my way, he first spends the night in Kirk's home, and it's all I can do to keep my original promise not to disrupt the relationship with my pro-conservative versus his pro-liberal stance.STILL . . . I don't vote for s candidate because he or she is Caucasian; I therefore do not understand the mentality for Hispanics and blacks to vote for a candidate on the basis of race. In Texas, a vote for Sanchez or Kirk actually amounts to this mentality; the exception is my relative, who is and always will be a socialistic liberal (is that redundant???).
With best wishes,
Penny
Talk about negativity. I haven't heard one ad that said something good about Sanchez's accomplishments. All they do is denegrate Perry.
A governor leading by 25 points, plus a popular wartime President, a rebounding economy, combined with the 9/11 anniversary just prior to the November elections = Coattails for the Republican Senate candidate in Texas (and likely elsewhere across the nation).
I'm not sure.........perhaps Miss RikaStrom has some insight here?
...Ray Sullivan, a Perry spokesman, said: "It is consistent with what we are seeing in our internal polling. I think it makes it clear why Mr. Sanchez has launched four negative attack ads in the past four days."
In the survey, Mr. Perry was the favorite of 59 percent, and 34 percent favored Mr. Sanchez. The rest were undecided.
This is good news, even though it's still quite early. 25 points is comfortable, though not insurmountable with Sanchez's current one million dollar per week ad buy. Then again, if your numbers look like that after spending so much, maybe there's a backlash effect. Too many commercials, when Perry hasn't had a single TV ad makes it look like Sanchez is trying to buy the race, which of course he is. The Jon Corzine effect may not work in Texas. However, I have to wonder how much of this is strategic on the part of the Rat pollster to stir up minority turnout.
Thus, the sample probably underrepresents Hispanic and black turnout.
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