TEXAS -- One week out from the Democratic presidential primary debate in Houston, a new poll shows Joe Biden leading the pack in the Lone Star State.
- Biden received 24 percent
- O'Rourke followed with 18 percent
- Harris and Castro had 4 percent
Biden got 24 percent among likely Democratic primary voters according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Texas Lyceum Poll. Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke received 18 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 15 percent. Sen. Bernie Sanders got 13 percent, with Kamala Harris and the other Texan in the race, Julian Castro, both received four percent.
“Castro’s had a lot of difficulty breaking through in this Democratic primary,” said Texas Lyceum’s Research Director Joshua Blank. “I think one of the things that’s unfortunate for Castro, especially in Texas, is the burden of sort of unfair expectations.”
Blank said Castro’s time as the Mayor of San Antonio doesn’t extend his appeal, at least in Texas, beyond a regional audience.
“Beto O’Rourke, on the other hand, prior to his senate campaign, completely unknown to most Texans. But after a year plus candidacy, $80 million spent in the state, it’s not surprising to see him far outpacing Castro,” Blank said.
While more Texans surveyed picked Biden to be the Democratic nominee, the Texas primary is still six months away.
Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Blank, including poll results on President Donald Trump’s and Gov. Greg Abbott’s job approval ratings.
