Polls

Cruz is most popular politician in Texas

| Tom Jensen

Header-poll-results
Raleigh, N.C. –
PPP’s newest Texas poll makes it pretty clear that when it comes to politicians Ted Cruz is the top dog in the state. Cruz has a better net approval rating than both Rick Perry and John Cornyn at +12, with 47% of voters approving of him to 35% who disapprove. Cruz also continues to lead the Republican primary field for President in the state with 25% to 14% for Jeb Bush, 10% each for Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Rick Perry, 5% for Chris Christie and Paul Ryan, and 4% for Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio.

Perry’s approval numbers may be on the rise, but there’s still little appetite for a repeat White House bid from him among voters in the state. Only 23% think he should run in 2016, compared to 66% who think he should sit it out. Even among GOP primary voters only 34% think he should make another bid with 52% dissenting. Republicans do, by a 46/38 spread, want Ted Cruz to seek the Presidency in 2016 but among all voters only 32% think he should make a bid to 54% who say no.

“Texas voters don’t want either Ted Cruz or Rick Perry to run for President in 2016,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “That’s a pretty common finding in our polling- home state voters generally don’t want their politicians aiming for the White House.”

All of the potential Republican candidates for President lead Hillary Clinton in Texas, although the margins are all much closer than what Mitt Romney won by in 2012. Rand Paul does the best with a 10 point advantage at 50/40, followed by Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush with an 8 point lead at 50/42, Ted Cruz up 7 points at 50/43, Rick Perry with a 5 point edge at 49/44, and Chris Christie with just a 2 point advantage at 44/42.

There’s no questioning that Texas is a conservative state but on a trio of hot button issues going on right now public opinion there sides with Democrats. By a 55/37 spread, voters support increasing the minimum wage to $10 an hour. By a 49/35 spread they support expanding Medicaid. And by a 50/30 spread, they support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

PPP surveyed 559 registered voters, including 294 Republican primary voters, from April 10th and 13th. The margin of error for the overall survey is +/- 4.1% and for the Republicans it’s +/-5.7%. 80% of interviews for the poll were conducted over the phone with 20% interviewed over the internet to reach respondents who don’t have landline telephones.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

General Election Toplines

Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Ted
Cruz’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .47%
Disapprove…………. .35%
Not sure …………….. .18%

Q2 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Jeb
Bush, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 42%
Jeb Bush………………………………………………… 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q3 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Chris
Christie, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 42%
Chris Christie ………………………………………….. 44%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q4 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Ted
Cruz, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 43%
Ted Cruz ………………………………………………… 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%

Q5 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Mike
Huckabee, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 42%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q6 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rand
Paul, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 40%
Rand Paul ………………………………………………. 50%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 10%

Q7 If the candidates for President next time were
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rick
Perry, who would you vote for?
Hillary Clinton………………………………………….. 44%
Rick Perry ………………………………………………. 49%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 7%

Q8 Do you think Rick Perry should run for
President in 2016, or not?
Think he should ………………………………………. 23%
Think he should not …………………………………. 66%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Q9 Do you think Ted Cruz should run for President
in 2016, or not?
Think he should ………………………………………. 32%
Think he should not …………………………………. 54%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q10 Texas is eligible to receive new federal funding
to pay for health care through the Medicaid
program. Do you think the Texas state
government should accept this federal funding
to expand Medicaid coverage, or not?
Think it should…………………………………………. 49%
Think it should not……………………………………. 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%

Q11 Would you support or oppose raising the
minimum wage to $10 an hour?
Support ………………………………………………….. 55%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 37%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q12 Do you support or oppose the Paycheck
Fairness Act, which seeks to address the issue
of male-female income disparity?
Support ………………………………………………….. 50%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 30%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 21%

Q13 Do you agree or disagree with the following
statement? ‘Women and men should earn
equal pay for equal work.’
Agree …………………………………………………….. 93%
Disagree ………………………………………………… 4%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 3%

Q14 Is your favorite Major League Baseball team
the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago
Cubs, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, St.
Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, or some other
team?
Braves …………………………………………………… 5%
Red Sox…………………………………………………. 3%
Cubs ……………………………………………………… 3%
Astros ……………………………………………………. 22%
Yankees …………………………………………………. 3%
Cardinals………………………………………………… 3%
Rangers …………………………………………………. 35%
Some other team / Don’t have a favorite……… 27%

Q15 (Asked only of Astros fans:) What do you think
the outcome of the 2014 season will be for the
Astros? Do you think they will win the World
Series, win the American League pennant but
not the World Series, make the playoffs but not
win the pennant, or not make the playoffs at
all?
Win the World Series ……………………………….. 14%
Win the pennant but not the World Series …… 8%
Make the playoffs but not win the pennant…… 28%
Not make the playoffs at all……………………….. 42%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q16 (Asked only of Rangers fans:) What do you
think the outcome of the 2014 season will be
for the Rangers? Do you think they will win the
World Series, win the American League
pennant but not the World Series, make the
playoffs but not win the pennant, or not make
the playoffs at all?
Win the World Series ……………………………….. 18%
Win the pennant but not the World Series …… 18%
Make the playoffs but not win the pennant…… 38%
Not make the playoffs at all……………………….. 15%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Q17 Is your favorite NBA team the Boston Celtics,
Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston
Rockets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers,
New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, San
Antonio Spurs, or some other team?
Celtics……………………………………………………. 3%
Bulls………………………………………………………. 4%
Mavericks……………………………………………….. 28%
Rockets………………………………………………….. 16%
Heat ………………………………………………………. 3%
Lakers……………………………………………………. 1%
Knicks ……………………………………………………. 0%
Thunder …………………………………………………. 5%
Spurs …………………………………………………….. 20%
Some other team / Don’t have a favorite……… 20%

Q18 Given the choices of 2014 NBA All Stars Tim
Duncan, James Harden, Dwight Howard, Dirk
Nowitzki, and Tony Parker, who is your favorite
player in the state of Texas?
Tim Duncan ……………………………………………. 20%
James Harden ………………………………………… 11%
Dwight Howard ……………………………………….. 9%
Dirk Nowitzki …………………………………………… 22%
Tony Parker ……………………………………………. 9%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 29%

Q19 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 39%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 53%
Someone else / Don’t remember ……………….. 8%

Q20 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 8%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 23%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 29%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 23%

Q21 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%

Q22 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 32%
Republican……………………………………………… 44%
Independent / Other…………………………………. 24%

Q23 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 18%
White …………………………………………………….. 64%
African-American …………………………………….. 12%
Other……………………………………………………… 6%

Q24 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 43%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 25%

Q25 Mode
Phone ……………………………………………………. 80%
Internet ………………………………………………….. 20%

Republican Primary Toplines

Q1 Given the choices of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie,
Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rand
Paul, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, and Paul Ryan,
who would you most like to see as the GOP
candidate for President in 2016?
Jeb Bush………………………………………………… 14%
Chris Christie ………………………………………….. 5%
Ted Cruz ………………………………………………… 25%
Mike Huckabee ……………………………………….. 10%
Bobby Jindal …………………………………………… 4%
Rand Paul ………………………………………………. 10%
Rick Perry ………………………………………………. 10%
Marco Rubio …………………………………………… 4%
Paul Ryan ………………………………………………. 5%
Someone else / Not sure ………………………….. 12%

Q2 Do you think Rick Perry should run for
President in 2016, or not?
Think he should ………………………………………. 34%
Think he should not …………………………………. 52%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%

Q3 Do you think Ted Cruz should run for President
in 2016, or not?
Think he should ………………………………………. 46%
Think he should not …………………………………. 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%

Q4 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 4%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 6%
Moderate………………………………………………… 17%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 40%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 34%

Q5 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 44%
Man……………………………………………………….. 56%

Q6 If you are 18 to 45 years old, press 1. If 46 to
65, press 2. If you are older than 65, press 3.
18 to 45………………………………………………….. 30%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 35%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 35%

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