2010: Medina Catching Kay?

A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows Gov. Rick Perry leading the GOP primary race, and some potentially troublesome numbers for his main rival, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

The poll has Perry at 39 percent, Hutchison at 28 percent and grass-roots challenger Debra Medina at 24 percent. The survey of 423 likely Republican voters has a margin of error of +/- 4.8 percent.

There’s no doubt Medina is riding the wave of discontent with the political establishment. She actually leads the race, 37-32 over Perry, with the third of primary voters who disapprove of Washington politicians. With those who are happy she trails well behind at 17%.

"The big question for Debra Medina is whether there’s enough unhappy voters out therefor 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."

If the results are accurate, they show Medina gaining ground in the race, and perhaps into competition for a potential runoff. The results differ some from last week's Rasmussen poll, which showed Perry leading Hutchison 44 percent to 29 percent, with Medina at 16 percent.

Media released a statement:

"The results from the Public Policy Polling is great news that validates the momentum we’ve been going through this past month," says Debra Medina, Republican candidate for Governor of Texas. "My campaign has been run on a shoestring budget, but it’s a case study for what We Texans are capable of accomplishing with less money, less resources. Yes, We Texans are undoubtedly unhappy with how this state has been run for the past decade, which includes having unfunded federal mandates shoved down our throats. The polls demonstrate that dissent loud and clear."