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April 18, 2008 — Texas: Perry Running Again; Hutchison Might Oppose Him  

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) will seek an unprecedented third four-year term in 2010, according to a story in yesterday’s Dallas Morning News. But Perry, who won re-election in 2006 with a poor 39% in a 4-way race, is not likely to have a free run. US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who almost ran against Perry last go-round, is telling the media she’s considering a run for Lone Star CEO in two years. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R) is another possibility. Stay tuned.

McCain Strong in Alabama, Clinton in Florida, Obama in North Carolina

Alabama: McCain Way Ahead:  It’s McCain 57%, Obama 30%, says a Press-Register/University of South Alabama poll taken March 24-27; or McCain 52%, Clinton 30%.

Florida: McCain Way Ahead Here, too:  McCain 53%, Obama 38%, says Rasmussen Reports in a survey released April 14. Should Hillary Clinton get the nomination, however, she leads McCain 45%-44%. This echoes a March 24-31 poll taken by Quinnipiac University, which gave McCain 46%, Obama 37%, and Clinton 44%, McCain 42%.

North Carolina: McCain, Obama Even-Steven: It’s McCain 47%, Obama 47% among Tar Heel voters, says Rasmussen Reports in an April 12 release. That’s a big gain for Obama over the past month; in March, he trailed McCain by nine points, perhaps a tribute to the extensive stumping here by both Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama. In the latest survey, McCain would beat Clinton 51% to 40%.

North Carolina: More Numbers

Voter Registration Favors Democrats, Independents: Since the first of the year, 144,774 North Carolinians have registered to vote. According to Raleigh’s News & Observer, 53% registered Democratic, 37% were unaffiliated, and a lagging 10% were Republicans. That contrasts with the numbers at the end of 2007 for the entire voter pool, when the Democrats led with 45%, the Republicans were second with 34% and unaffiliated was third with 21%.

Dole Ahead, but: US Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) has a respectable lead over each of her potential Democratic opponents. Against state Sen. Kay Hagen (D), Dole leads 52% to 39%; against investment banker Jim Neal, she leads 51% to 37%. However, given that neither Hagen nor Neal is known statewide, Dole can’t rest easy.