It was fun while it lasted. One day after a Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll showed Chris Bell running second (see yesterday’s posting, “Polls Apart”) to Rick Perry by 38%-20%, a new Rasmussen poll shows him running fourth, and not a very good fourth at that:
Perry 40%
Strayhorn 20%
Friedman 19%
Bell 13%

And that 13% comes after a TV buy. Not a good sign. The numbers have hardly changed since last month:
Perry 38%
Friedman 20%
Strayhorn 19%
Bell 14%

Other interesting numbers from Rasmussen:
*Perry’s approval rating in Texas: 56%

*Bush’s approval rating in Texas: 53%
*Perry’s approval rating among Republicans: 80%
*Strayhorn’s approval rating among Democrats: 57% (more bad news for Bell)
*Texas Senate race: Hutchison 58%, Radnofsky 31% (Zogby: 52.2%-36.7%)
* Sample: 500 likely voters–smallish, but still a superior methodology to Zogby’s.

Perry’s strategists told me a couple of months ago that they believe their guy will finish in the upper forties. More recently, I have heard that the campaign may make a push to get over 50%. A plurality win would be a liability for Perry’s vice-presidential chances; a majority vote would be a big asset.