Public Policy Polling found nearly two-thirds of all Texas voters say it is time for Governor Perry to step aside.
Tom Jensen is the director of Public Policy Polling. He says Perry would be in trouble if Attorney General Greg Abbott challenges the governor in a GOP primary next spring.
"Perry would start out with only a 41-to-38 lead. And, overall, 47 of Republican voters think it's time for someone else."
The poll found Governor Perry still enjoys a significant lead with voters who call themselves 'very' conservative. But moderate-to-somewhat-conservative voters say they're ready for a change. And Jensen says the numbers for Perry are likely to get worse.
"We found on this poll that when you look just at voters who have an opinion about Greg Abbott, whether it's positive or negative, he's beating Perry by 22 points. And that really suggests that as Abbott's name recognition increases, he has the potential, really, to have a pretty substantial lead over Perry."
In hypothetical general election matchups, PPP found Abbott beating all potential Democratic challengers, including former Houston Mayor Bill White and current Mayor Annise Parker. Perry's margin over most Democratic challengers is smaller, and the poll found he would lose against Bill White.