Poll shows surprising strength by Debra Medina in GOP race for Texas governor - L.A. TIMES -2-9-2010

February 9, 2010

-- Mark Z. Barabak

Source: Los Angeles Times

Is Debra Medina the next Scott Brown?

Nobody -- well, hardly anybody outside perhaps the Medina household -- expects the small business owner and anti-Washington crusader to be the next governor of Texas. Heck, until recently she wasn’t even much of a factor in the shoot-'em-up between the two leviathans of Lone Star politics, Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.Debra Medina

Then again, up until a couple of weeks out, nobody thought Brown -- a little-known state senator and ex-Cosmo model -- stood much chance of swiping the Massachusetts Senate seat held for almost a half century by the late Edward M. Kennedy. That said, a poll out Tuesday is raising eyebrows all over Texas.

The survey by Public Policy Polling showed Perry leading the GOP field with 39%, followed by Hutchison at 28% and Medina -- a favorite of the Tea Party crowd -- at 24%.

More significant, among self-identified conservatives -- those most likely to turn out in the March 2 primary -- Perry had 42% support to Medina’s 25% and Hutchison’s 23%.

Given the survey’s 4.8% margin of error, Hutchison, long considered the most popular politician in Texas, is effectively tied with the little-known, meagerly funded Medina.

(How meagerly? As of Tuesday, she had raised less than $600,000, a pittance compared to the $50 million Perry and Hutchison are expected to spend between them.)

Of course, no poll can be taken as gospel. The survey, conducted after last month’s second and final GOP gubernatorial debate, had a fairly small sample: 423 likely Republican voters.

Still, it seems...

to bear out what many political pros are saying: Hutchison is struggling, Medina is surging and Perry -- who doesn’t exactly blow the barn doors off in terms of popularity -- seems a lot better positioned than most would have imagined a few months ago. Thanks to Medina, the GOP contest seems destined for an April run-off between the two top finishers.

The big question, for the moment at least, is whether Perry will face Hutchison or Medina -- something that enters Scott Brown territory in terms of who-wudda-thunk-it. Clearly, Medina is benefiting from the anti-incumbent anger that is burning, prairie-fire-like, across the country. But she has also gained from a pair of solid debate performances; some declared Medina the winner after the first session in mid-January.

“She was the one who came across, to judge from polls and reaction afterward, as more forthright, better prepared, quite calm and confident,” said Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas political scientist and longtime student of state politics. “She was seemingly more gubernatorial than her opponents in some respects.”

Medina enjoyed a surge in contributions after her strong showing, followed by another after the second debate. The question is whether she can sustain the momentum, lacking a prominent statewide platform (there are no more debates scheduled) or the money for a serious advertising campaign. (Turn on the TV and just try to avoid a Perry or Hutchison spot.)

Medina has also enjoyed the luxury of facing little scrutiny on issues. (How high would the state sales tax have to go if Texas eliminates its property tax, as Medina advocates?) That probably won’t last if she is seen as a serious contender.

Already, Medina has been forced to explain away a comment she made -- "stepping off into secession may in fact be a bloody war" -- in support of states’ rights at a rally last year on the Capitol steps. (Asked about her remark during the second debate, Medina said she opposes Texas’ secession from the union, something Perry hinted at last year in his own nod to the Tea Party folks.)

Still, Medina, the former chairwoman of the Wharton County GOP, has already achieved far more than anyone expected of her campaign. Failing a successful run for governor, many see her as well positioned to replace her congressman, Ron Paul, whenever he steps down. Paul is one of Medina’s key supporters.

-- Mark Z. Barabak

Source: Los Angeles Times

Photo: Medina. Credit: Associated Press.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Source: POLITICO.COM

Texas GOP gubernatorial candidates Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Debra Medina debate at the WFAA Channel 8 studios in Dallas in January.
Texas GOP gubernatorial candidates Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Debra Medina debate at the WFAA Channel 8 studios in Dallas in January. Photo: AP


Debra Medina is closing on Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas’s Republican gubernatorial primary, increasing the odds the race led by Gov. Rick Perry will be thrown into a runoff.

According to a survey out Tuesday by Public Policy Polling, Medina, a nurse who’s now a businesswoman, had the support of 24 percent of likely Republican primary voters, trailing the three-term senator by only 4 percentage points. Perry, who leads Hutchison by double-digits in several polls, got 39 percent in the latest survey.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the March 2 primary, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff on April 13.

The poll of 423 likely Republican voters found Medina particularly strong among those angry at Washington. Among the third of voters in the poll who said they disapproved of Washington, Medina topped Perry, 37 percent to 32 percent.

Both Perry and Hutchison had approval ratings of at least 50 percent in the poll, making Medina’s surge even more surprising.

“The big question for Debra Medina is whether there’re enough unhappy voters out there for her to get into a runoff with Rick Perry,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling. “That would rank up there with the results of the Massachusetts Senate election as an early shocker in the 2010 political season.”

The poll has a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points.



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Comment by truth on February 11, 2010 at 4:04pm
Glenn Beck tries his best to push Debra Medina to admit that she is what he calls a 9/11 truther ?!?! it is known that Glenn Beck is against all so called 9/11 truthers and anyone who challenges even remotely the official government story.....

http://economycollapse.blogspot.com/2010/02/glenn-beck-to-debra-med...
Comment by 7R33SandR0P3S on February 11, 2010 at 12:52pm
Extended Version
Comment by 7R33SandR0P3S on February 11, 2010 at 12:28pm
Here is part of the bECcch radio interview:
Comment by 7R33SandR0P3S on February 11, 2010 at 11:41am
GLENN "The TRAITOR" BECK attacks Debra Medina on 911 TRUTH. I was not able to record it but, not doubt, Alex will make an issue about it today. After the interview the traitor ranted and made fun of her. The pig makes me sick. He was also rude to callers who thought that BEck was being unfair to Medina. I will be looking for the audio and post it here.
Comment by 7R33SandR0P3S on February 10, 2010 at 11:46pm
Perry, Hutchison Approval Ratings Drop
Source: MyFoxAustin
Updated: Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010, 10:14 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010, 10:14 PM CST

A new poll conducted by the North Carolina based Public Policy Polling shows that the approval ratings for Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison have dropped dramatically since this time last year.

The poll shows 50% of voters disapprove of Perry, while Hutchison has a disapproval rating of 37% of voters.

Even with the bad approval ratings, the poll shows that if the election were held today they would both beat Democratic candidate and former Houston Mayor Bill White. In fact, the poll indicates that White also trails the third Republican candidate, Debra Medina.

White is currently leading other democratic candidates in the polls. The poll indicates the White must gain ground with independents and gain cross over votes from Republicans to successfully win the governor race.




LINK: Perry, Hutchison Approval Ratings Poll (pdf)
Comment by truth on February 10, 2010 at 8:48pm
Chris Matthews Compares Debra Medina to Southern Racists
Kurt Nimmo | Chris Matthews' handlers are a gaggle of elite authoritarian banksters determined to shred the last vestiges of the Constitution.
Comment by truth on February 10, 2010 at 3:56pm
Debra Medina on Jack Blood's Deadline Live mp3 http://snardfarker.ning.com/group/Jack_Blood/forum/topics/debra-med...

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