United States Senate election in Texas, 2012

The 2012 United States Senate election in Texas will be held on November 6, 2012 along other elections to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

Kay Bailey Hutchison

Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....

decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a fourth full term.

Background

In an interview with Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...

published in December 2007, incumbent senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

Kay Bailey Hutchison

stated that she would not seek re-election and might also resign from the Senate as early as 2009 to run for Governor of Texas

Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

. After the 2008 elections

United States general elections, 2008

The 2008 United States general elections were held on November 4. The result was a significant victory for the Democratic Party on the national level, as they increased majorities in both houses of Congress and won the Presidency. Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain in the...

, Hutchison formed an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2010

Texas gubernatorial election, 2010

The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas, who will serve a four-year term beginning on January 18, 2011, and ending on January 20, 2015. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for re-election to a third term. He...

. Hutchison indicated that she might possibly resign from the Senate before her current term is up to seek the governorship. State Republican Chairman Cathie Adams

Cathie Adams

Cathie L. Adams is a homemaker from Dallas, Texas, who is the former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. She won the post in a special meeting of the Republican State Executive Committee held on October 24, 2009, at party headquarters in Austin...

later called upon Hutchison to clarify when she would vacate the Senate so that other Republican candidates could make preparations to run.

On December 4, 2008, Hutchison set up an exploratory committee, setting up a primary battle with incumbent Republican governor Rick Perry

Rick Perry

James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

. Fellow Texas senator and National Republican Senatorial Committee

National Republican Senatorial Committee

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...

Chairman John Cornyn

John Cornyn

John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....

tried to convince Hutchison to stay in the Senate, for fear of losing the seat to the Democrats. On January 15, 2009, Hutchison transferred approximately $8 million from federal campaign account to her gubernatorial exploratory committee, close to the full amount. On November 13, 2009, Hutchison announced that she would not resign from the Senate seat until after the primary on March 2, 2010.

Hutchison lost the gubernatorial primary to Perry and on March 31, 2010, she announced her intention to serve out her third term. On January 13, 2011, after some discussion about whether she would change her mind, Hutchison announced she would not seek re-election in 2012.

Declared

Glenn Addison, funeral home owner
Andrew Castanuela, licensed professional counselor
Licensed Professional Counselor
Licensed professional counselor is a licensure for mental health professionals. The exact title varies by state, but the other most frequently used title is licensed mental health counselor . Several U.S. states, including Illinois, Maine, and Tennessee, have implemented a two-tier system whereby...
Curt Cleaver, owner of a hotel sales, consulting, and management company
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz is the former Solicitor General of Texas, a position he held from 2003 to May 2008. Cruz was appointed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. He was the first Hispanic Solicitor General in Texas, the youngest Solicitor General in America and the longest to hold the...

, former State Solicitor General
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst
David Dewhurst is the 41st and current Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving under Governor Rick Perry since January 21, 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Texas Land Commissioner from 1999 to 2003. Dewhurst announced on July 18, 2011, that he was running for the...

, Texas Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
Tom Leppert
Tom Leppert
Tom Leppert is an American politician who served as mayor of Dallas, Texas from 2007 to 2011, and who worked as CEO of the Turner Corporation...

, former Mayor of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
Lela Pittenger, Mediator
Mediator
Mediator may refer to:*A neutral party who assists in negotiations and conflict resolution, the process being known as mediation*Mediator variable in statistics*The Mediator pattern in computer science...

Potential

Craig James, sports commentator and former professional football player

Declined

Elizabeth Ames Jones
Elizabeth Ames Jones
Elizabeth Ames Jones is one of the three members of the elected Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory body that oversees the oil and natural gas industries in Texas — as opposed to railroads, as its name suggests...

, Texas Railroad Commissioner
Railroad Commission of Texas
The Railroad Commission of Texas is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining .Established by the Texas Legislature in 1891, it is the state's oldest regulatory...

(announced, then dropped out to run for state senate)
Michael Williams
Michael L. Williams
Michael Lawrence Williams is a former member of the elected Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory body over, not railroads, but the oil and natural gas industries. Williams is the first African American to hold a statewide elected executive office in Texas history. He was appointed to the...

, former Texas Railroad Commissioner
Railroad Commission of Texas
The Railroad Commission of Texas is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and surface coal and uranium mining .Established by the Texas Legislature in 1891, it is the state's oldest regulatory...

(announced, then dropped out to run for U.S. House)
Roger Williams, former Texas Secretary of State
Secretary of State of Texas
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...

(announced, then dropped out to run for U.S. House)

Endorsements

Polling

Poll source	↑ Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ted Cruz	David Dewhurst	Elizabeth Ames Jones	Tom Leppert	Michael McCaul	Others
University of Texas/Texas Tribune	October 19-26, 2011	800	± 4.93%	10%	22%	2%	5%	5%
Public Policy Polling	September 15-18, 2011	400	± 4.9%	12%	41%	7%	6%	-
Public Policy Polling	June 25-27, 2011	400	± 4.9%	11%	40%	3%	5%	-	Dan Patrick (11%) Glenn Addison (2%) Roger Williams (2%) Lela Pittenger (0%)
Dresner Wickers Barber Sanders	June 4-5, 2011	450	± 4.62%	2%	-	4%	11%	-	Roger Williams (6%) Dan Patrick (19%)
Texas Lyceum	May 24-31, 2011	147	± 8.08%	1%	27%	2%	3%	3%	Roger Williams (4%) Michael Williams (0%)
University of Texas/Texas Tribune	May 11-18, 2011	388	± 4.98%	2%	25%	1%	4%	4%	Michael Williams (6%) Roger Williams (2%)
University of Texas/Texas Tribune	February 11-17, 2011	374	± 5.07%	3%	27%	3%	-	4%	Michael Williams (5%) Roger Williams (2%)
Public Policy Polling	January 14-16, 2011	400	± 4.9%	3%	23%	6%	3%	-	Ron Paul (21%) Greg Abbott (14%) Joe Barton (7%) Michael Williams (3%) Roger Williams (1%)

Commissioned by Dan Patrick

Declared

Stanley Garza, Shipping Company Manager
Sean Hubbard, strategy director of Manny Molera's 2002 congressional campaign
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...

, former United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

Potential

Chet Edwards
Chet Edwards
Thomas Chester "Chet" Edwards is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. He represented a district based in Waco, Texas from 1991 to 2011, and served in the Texas Senate from 1983 until 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party...

, former U.S. representative
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....

, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson
Nicholas Valentino 'Nick' Lampson is an American politician from the state of Texas and was a Congressman representing the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. He was defeated by Pete Olson on November 4, 2008 in his re-election bid....

, former U.S. representative
Chris Bell
Chris Bell (politician)
Robert Christopher "Chris" Bell is a Democratic Party politician. He last served as a one-term congressman in the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 25th congressional district in Houston from 2003 to 2005 before being defeated in the Democratic primary by Justice of the Peace Al...

, former U.S. representative

Declined

Julian Castro, Mayor of San Antonio
Adrian Garcia
Adrian Garcia
Adrian Garcia is the Sheriff of Harris County, Texas. He defeated Tommy Thomas in 2008, who had been the sheriff for 14 years. Adrian Garcia spent 23 years with the Houston Police Department before serving as Sheriff to Harris County...

, Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...

sheriff
Ron Kirk
Ron Kirk
Ronald "Ron" Kirk is the 16th United States Trade Representative, serving in the Obama administration. He served as mayor of Dallas, Texas from 1995 to 2002; he also ran for the United States Senate in 2002.-Early life and career:...

, U.S. trade representative
Office of the United States Trade Representative
The Office of the United States Trade Representative is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States trade policy to the president of the United States, conducting trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinating trade...

and former Mayor of Dallas
John Sharp
John Sharp (Texas politician)
John Sharp is the former Democratic Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, having held the office from 1991 to 1999. He is currently a principal in the Austin office of the Dallas-based Ryan & Company, a tax consulting firm. In 2005, he was appointed to serve as Chair of the Texas Tax Reform...

, former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is an executive branch position created by the Texas Constitution. As with nearly every other executive branch head, the Comptroller is popularly elected every four years concurrently with the Governor and the other elected executive branch positions...
Leticia Van de Putte, Texas state senator
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
Bill White, former Mayor of Houston, originally announced that he would be running for the seat when it is vacated by Hutchison. On December 4, 2009, White announced that he was running for governor instead. After receiving the Democratic nomination for governor and losing the general election, White declared on November 15, 2010, that he would not run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

Endorsements

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Chris Bell	Chet Edwards	Sylvia Garcia	Ricardo Sanchez	John Sharp
Texas Lyceum	May 24-31, 2011	103	± 9.66%	9%	6%	5%	6%	6%
University of Texas/Texas Tribune	May 11-18, 2011	252	± 6.17%	7%	11%	-	14%	6%
University of Texas, Austin	February 11-17, 2011	297	± 5.69%	16%	13%	-	-	12%

with Chet Edwards

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ted Cruz (R)	Chet Edwards (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	37%	33%	—	30%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	David Dewhurst (R)	Chet Edwards (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	43%	35%	—	22%
Public Policy Polling (report)	January 14-16, 2011	892	± 3.3%	50%	31%	—	19%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Elizabeth A. Jones (R)	Chet Edwards (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	January 14-16, 2011	892	± 3.3%	44%	31%	—	25%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Leppert (R)	Chet Edwards (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	39%	33%	—	28%
Public Policy Polling (report)	January 14-16, 2011	892	± 3.3%	46%	30%	—	24%

with Tommy Lee Jones

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ted Cruz (R)	Tommy Lee Jones (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5	37%	38%	—	25%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	David Dewhurst (R)	Tommy Lee Jones (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5	43%	39%	—	18%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Leppert (R)	Tommy Lee Jones (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5	38%	37%	—	26%

with Ricardo Sanchez

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ted Cruz (R)	Ricardo Sanchez (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	42%	31%	—	27%
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5%	41%	32%	—	27%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	David Dewhurst (R)	Ricardo Sanchez (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	47%	32%	—	22%
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5%	45%	37%	—	18%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Leppert (R)	Ricardo Sanchez (D)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	September 15-18, 2011	569	± 4.1%	41%	32%	—	27%
Public Policy Polling (report)	June 25-27, 2011	795	± 3.5%	38%	35%	—	27%

{| class="navbox collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left; border:0; margin-top:0.2em;"
|-
! style="background:#cff; font-weight:normal;"|
Hypothetical polling
|-
| style="border:solid 1px silver; padding:8px; background:white;"|
with Julian Castro

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| David
Dewhurst (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Julian
Castro (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 53%
| align=center| 25%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 23%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Elizabeth
A. Jones (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Julian
Castro (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 48%
| align=center| 27%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 25%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Tom
Leppert (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Julian
Castro (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 48%
| align=center| 25%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 27%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Michael
Williams (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Julian
Castro (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 45%
| align=center| 26%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 29%
|}

with Chet Edwards

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Michael
Williams (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Chet
Edwards (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 27%
|}

with John Sharp

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:220px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Greg
Abbott (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 44%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 19%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2009
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| 28%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 36%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:220px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Ted
Cruz (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| June 25-27, 2011
| align=center| 795
| align=center| ± 3.5
| align=center| 40%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 25%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:220px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| David
Dewhurst (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| June 25-27, 2011
| align=center| 795
| align=center| ± 3.5
| align=center| 43%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 19%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 49%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 19%
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 34%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 33%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2009
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6%
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 22%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:220px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Elizabeth
A. Jones (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 44%
| align=center| 30%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 26%
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 37%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:220px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Tom
Leppert (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| June 25-27, 2011
| align=center| 795
| align=center| ± 3.5
| align=center| 39%
| align=center| 38%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 23%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| January 14-16, 2011
| align=center| 892
| align=center| ± 3.3
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 30%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 28%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Florence
Shapiro (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| 32%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 37%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2009
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6
| align=center| 34%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 29%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Roger
Williams (R)
! style="width:100px;"| John
Sharp (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 29%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 38%
|}

with Bill White

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Greg
Abbott (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| 28%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 36%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2009
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6%
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 22%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| David
Dewhurst (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 38%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 26%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2009
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6%
| align=center| 42%
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 21%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Elizabeth
A. Jones (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| 30%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 37%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Florence
Shapiro (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 32%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 37%
|-
| align=center| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| February 18-20, 2011
| align=center| 1,409
| align=center| ± 2.6
| align=center| 37%
| align=center| 36%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 27%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Michael
Williams (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 35%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 34%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign=bottom
! style="width:175px;"| Poll source
! style="width:160px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Roger
Williams (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bill
White (D)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| align=center| University of Texas, Austin (report)
| align=center| February 24-March 6, 2009
| align=center| 715
| align=center| ± 3.66%
| align=center| 31%
| align=center| 33%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 38%
|}

Republican Primary (when asked specifically, if Dewhurst were not running)

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:130px;"| ↑ Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! Glenn
Addison
! Ted
Cruz
! Elizabeth
Ames Jones
! Tom
Leppert
! Dan
Patrick
! Lela
Pittenger
! Roger
Williams
|-
| Public Policy Polling
| align=center| June 25-27, 2011
| align=center| 400
| align=center| ± 4.9%
| align=center| 4%
| align=center| 16%
| align=center| 11%
| align=center| 12%
| align=center| 13%
| align=center| 0%
| align=center| 3%
|}

External links

Elections Division from the Texas secretary of state
U.S. Congress candidates for Texas at Project Vote Smart
Project Vote Smart
Project Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
Websites of the 2012 Texas Senate Candidates

Official campaign websites

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Background

Declared

Potential

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Declared

Potential

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

with Chet Edwards

with Tommy Lee Jones

with Ricardo Sanchez

See also

External links