According to a new poll from PPP, right-wing tea party candidate Debra Medina, making her first bid for public office, is nipping at the heels of incumbent Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Texas Republican gubernatorial primary.
Medina, who wasn't even on the radar before the recent gubernatorial debates, is now within 4 points of Hutchison and 15 points of Perry. Perry clocks in at 39% support, Hutchison at 28%, and Medina at 24%.
If no candidate wins 50% of the vote -- a prospect that seems increasingly likely -- there will be a run-off between the top two finishers. This poll is the first indication that Medina has a decent shot of ending up in the top two positions.
Dave Weigel explains Medina's surge:
Medina owes at least some of her support to Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who has employed her on his electoral bids and with his Campaign for Liberty, and who tipped off his supporters to her candidacy in September. While the challenge Paul is facing from three Tea Party candidates reveals that the movement is much more hawkish and traditionally Republican in federal elections, the 10th Amendment argument is clearly a winner with state voters.
And how much further to the right is Medina than the other candidates? While Perry edged away from his apparent endorsement of secession at an April 15 Tea Party, Medina spoke in August at a "sovereignty or secession" rally.
You know the GOP is losing its grip on reality when Rick Perry's pro-secession antics might not be right-wing enough for them.
Update (10:40AM): We're polling this race (actually, we've just sponsored it...Research 2000 is conducting it). In addition to the multi-candidate primary, we'll be testing potential run-off matchups between both Perry and Hutchison as well as Perry and Medina. While Hutchison probably can't beat Perry in a run-off, it will be very interesting to see if Medina's Tea Party credentials gives her a shot at unseating Perry.