Texas May Help Choose the Republican Candidate for President After All

The Austin American-Statesman suggests that contrary to popular belief, the twice-delayed Texas primary may well have a role in determining who the Republican nominee is. The Texas primary is scheduled for May 29.

The conventional wisdom now is that Mitt Romney, the current front runner, will not have garnered the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. The outcome in Texas will help to determine whether it is Romney or some other candidate, likely Rick Santorum, eventually comes out of top.

Santorum is ahead in Texas

The Houston Chronicle reports that a poll conducted by the Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research shows Santorum on top by eight points. Among 750 likely Texas primary voters, Santorum has 35 percent of the vote, followed by Romney with 27 percent, Newt Gingrich with 20 percent, and Texas favorite son Rep. Ron Paul with eight percent. Rasmussen, according to Newsmax, had Romney with 32 percent, Santorum with 30 percent, Gingrich with 19 percent, and Paul with nine percent.

Santorum's strength in Texas

Santorum has built his strength in Texas by visiting the state and appealing to religious conservatives, as he did in early February. Santorum's attention to social issues, such as abortion, same sex marriage, and the Obama birth control mandate resonates among the voting demographic.

What about Mitt Romney?

A piece in the Houston Chronicle suggests that Romney is benefiting from the aura of electability. 44 percent of Texans believe that Romney has the best chance to beat President Obama in the fall election, as compared to 23 percent for Santorum and 20 percent for Gingrich.

Does Gingrich have a chance?

Gingrich does enjoy the support of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who endorsed the former speaker before ending his own presidential candidacy. While Perry's approval numbers are down, largely thanks to his abortive presidential campaign, he had given invaluable service in fund raising. A rumor appeared in the media that Gingrich will ask Perry to be his vice presidential running mate. According to Newsmax, that rumor was denied by spokespeople for both Gingrich and Perry.

Gingrich's support for a lunar base may appeal to voters in the vicinity of the Johnson Spaceflight Center south of Houston. It should be noted that his stand on that issue did not win him the state of Florida.

Isn't Ron Paul from Texas?

Rep. Paul has been able to be reelected handily in his congressional district for most of his political career. But his local popularity has not been translated state wide, not mention across the country. The polls that show him in single digits in Texas bear that out.

Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-may-help-choose-republican-candidate-president-234600857.html

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