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Texas Governor: Abbott (R) 48%, Davis (D) 40%

The gubernatorial race in Texas is slightly closer than it was earlier this year.

A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Texas Voters finds Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott picking up 48% of the vote to Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis’ 40%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while nine percent (9%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

In our first look at the race in March, Abbott led Davis by 12 points – 53% to 41%.

Texas moves from Safe Republican to Leans Republican on the Rasmussen Reports’ 2014 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

Both candidates are backed by 86% of voters in their respective parties. Abbott leads 43% to 35% among unaffiliated voters, compared to 50% to 37% in March.

Abbott continues to hold a double-digit lead among men, 52% to 35%. But while Davis held a 12-point lead among women in March, the two candidates are now tied among these voters.

It’s being reported that Abbott is preparing a lawsuit against the federal government over the costs incurred by the state from the recent wave of illegal immigrant children Sixty-three percent (63%) of Texas voters think the primary focus of any new immigration legislation passed by Congress should be to send the new wave of young illegal immigrants home as soon as possible. Just 22% say the focus instead should be on making it easier for these illegal immigrants to stay in the United States.  This is even higher support for quick deportation than is found nationally

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of voters who want to send the young illegal immigrants home as quickly as possible support Abbott, while 80% of those who want to make it easier for them to stay support Davis.

Just 29% of Texas voters approve of housing the new illegal immigrants in their state, while 57% disapprove. That’s identical to results measured nationwide

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The survey of 850 Likely Voters in Texas was conducted on August 4-5, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The race will determine the successor to three-term Governor Rick Perry. Most Texas voters still like the job he is doing, but only 40% say they would vote for Perry if he is the Republican presidential candidate in 2016.

After fending off Tea Party opposition in the state’s Republican primary, Texas Senator John Cornyn looks comfortably on the path to reelection.

Twenty-seven percent (27%) of Texas voters have a Very Favorable impression of Abbott, while 15% view him Very Unfavorably. For Davis, Very Favorables are 23%, while Very Unfavorables are 33%.  Opinions of Davis have held steady, but Very Favorable views of Abbott are down seven points since March.

Both candidates are well-known in the state, but at this point in an election cycle, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers. 

Abbott still leads Davis in voter trust in all four major policy areas that we regularly track. Voters trust him most when it comes to dealing with government spending (46% to 33%) and taxes (46% to 34%). But the Republican also leads in trust on social issues (44% to 38%) and government ethics and corruption (43% to 36%). One-in-five voters are not sure which candidate they trust more on all four issues.

Twenty-four percent (24%) of Texas voters rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent, while 30% describe it as poor. Forty-two percent (42%) rate their own personal finances as good or excellent, while 16% view them as poor.

See our most recent numbers from the governor's races in AlabamaArkansasCaliforniaColorado, Florida, GeorgiaIdahoIllinois, Iowa, KansasMaineMarylandMichiganNebraskaNevadaNew MexicoOhioOklahoma,  PennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennessee, and Wisconsin.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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The survey of 850 Likely Voters in Texas was conducted on August 4-5, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

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