Polls released this week by Public Policy Polling and Rasmussen Reports both show no statistical movement for any of the Republican candidates for Governor this month, indicating a runoff is likely inevitable.

PPP's February 9th poll showed Rick Perry at 39%, Kay Bailey Hutchison at 28%, and Debra Medina at 24%, with a 4.9% margin of error. Their latest poll, released yesterday, shows Perry 40%, Hutchison 31%, and Medina at 20%. Rasmussen's February 2nd poll showed Perry at 44%, Hutchison 29%, and Medina at 16%. Today's release shows Perry 48%, Hutchison 27%, and Medina at 16%. For those polled that have already voted, Perry has 49% support, Hutchison has 24%, and Medina has 20%.

"The Rassmussen poll shows that the Medina campaign is in prime shape to surge into the runoff, despite being outspent dramatically by Debra's millionaire-financed opponents," said Medina campaign manager Penny Langford-Freeman. "We are encouraged by record turnout and that many voters who have never voted before or who have never voted before in a Republican primary are hitting the voting booth. Those record-setting new voters have been energized by having a real choice in Debra Medina, who is not a twenty-plus year politician. While Rick Perry would no doubt like to avoid a runoff where he must continue to attempt to justify his record to Republicans, We Texans are not letting up."

Yesterday, the Austin American-Statesman reported on the phenomenon of very large numbers of new voters in this primary: "Turnout for early voting remains strong in the state’s 15 biggest counties. Through the first three days of voting in those counties, 70,895 turned out in the Republican primary, which was a 172 percent increase over the 2006 gubernatorial primary. In fact, Republican turnout threatens to top the presidential-year turnout of 1.3 million in 2008, which would be quite unusual."

"It’s time to put Texas first. It' s past time to end professional politicians putting the interests of We Texans on a backburner. The lastest news on the economy shows that Rick Perry, after increasing government spending more than 75% while governor, has driven Texas to the worst unemployment since Democrats controlled the governor's mansion," said Debra Medina. "Texas is ready for a governor who doesn’t need a ten thousand dollar a month mansion, and who isn’t owned by multinational banking interests. What Texans want is to be able to look my children and my fellow Texans in the eyes and say ‘Yes, we will have freedom, we will have limited government, and a strong economy where We Texans will lead the way!’"