The UT/Texas Trib Poll

The University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll results today are not surprising. They show Greg Abbott with a hefty 47-36 lead over Wendy Davis in the race for governor, with 17 percent undecided. That lead is to be expected; of more concern for the Davis campaign should be their inability to develop a coherent message. They don’t have one, except to react to Greg Abbott. Fortunately for the Davis campaign, Abbott has made some brutal unforced errors.

Also, to no one’s surprise, the race for lieutenant governor is very close:

Dewhurst: 38 percent

Patrick: 31 percent

Staples: 16 percent

Patterson: 14 percent

For my point of view, I feel that Patrick has the momentum in this race.

In the attorney general’s race, Dan Branch held a solid lead in this race, or did, until Ken Paxton won an endorsement from Ted Cruz. Paxton has a very thin resume of accomplishment, but the Cruz endorsement has totally changed the dynamics—it’s now a statistical dead heat.

Branch: 42 percent

Paxton: 38 percent

Smitherman: 20 percent

What is particularly interesting is that in early polls 47 percent of respondents expressed no preference in this race.

It appears the comptroller’s race could produce a major surprise:

Medina: 39 percent

Hilderbran: 26 percent

Hegar: 24 percent

One aspect of the poll that was surprising: Ted Cruz‘s favorable/unfavorable numbers were not very good:

29 percent very favorable

14 percent somewhat favorable

8 percent somewhat unfavorable