The results of a poll on Texas’ Republican primary runoff were released this week.
The poll encompassed the period from March 29 to April 2, 2022. The survey, conducted by Defend Texas Liberty PAC, polled 678 people from a random group considered demographically representative of the general Republican primary voting bloc.
Of the respondents planning to vote in the GOP primary, 78% identified as Republicans, while the rest were Independents. The report shows that 95% of those polled said they would be very likely to vote.
Per the results, current Attorney General Ken Paxton leads his runoff challenger George P. Bush by a comfortable margin. Nearly double the respondents chose Paxton over Bush, at 59% and 30%, respectively.
In the March 1 Republican primary, Paxton received 43% of the vote. Second-place finisher Bush received 23% of the vote to seal his spot as the challenger in the May 24 runoff.
Paxton’s three opponents in the primary were Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Congressman Louie Gohmert, and former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.
The incumbent garnered the majority’s support in the primary despite criticism against him, including from his own party.
Paxton’s opponents banded together to criticize him before the primary, focusing on the fact that he is currently the subject of an FBI investigation.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Paxton’s Republican rivals had been pounding him in the months leading up to the GOP primary “over his legal troubles.” Still, only 15% of GOP voters in a DMN/UT-Tyler poll indicated that they believed Paxton lacked the integrity to serve as attorney general.
After the Defend Texas Liberty poll, Paxton’s campaign released a statement saying Bush “doesn’t share [Texans’] conservative values, [and are not] convinced he has the experience or willingness to defend our state from the Left’s radical assault on our state.”
“Texas cannot afford to have an establishment-supported rookie in the Attorney General’s office who lacks the fortitude and knowledge necessary to win the battles at the highest level,” added Paxton.
Other poll results showed that Texas Railroad Commissioner incumbent Wayne Christian (50%) is beating his opponent, Sarah Stogner (24%), with 26% of voters saying they are undecided.
In the race for Texas Land Commissioner, Dawn Buckingham (42%) leads Tim Westley (18%); however, in that race, 40% of voters indicated that they are undecided.
Former State Representative Jonathan Stickland heads the Defend Texas Liberty PAC. He touched on a poll showing Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the two favorites for president in Texas’ Republican voting bloc.
“Our poll also shows Texas voters are hungry for conservative leadership,” Stickland said in a statement. “There is strong support for Donald Trump should he decide to run for president again. Ron DeSantis is the clear second choice in any other scenario, and there is even stronger support for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s plan to review tenure for liberal professors teaching critical race theory. It is clear that Texas Republicans want a bold conservative future for our state.”