2010 Texas gubernatorial election


The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for election to a third consecutive term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and political newcomer, Debra Medina. The former Mayor of Houston, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto was the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock, was a declared write-in candidate.
Exit Polls showed Perry winning Anglos, while White performed well among African Americans and Latinos
Perry's fourth inauguration for a third full four-year term began on January 18, 2011 on the State Capitol South Grounds.

Election rules

Texas does not have term limits for its governors; thus, gubernatorial incumbents are free to run as often as they want if they are eligible for the office.
The Republicans and Democrats chose their gubernatorial nominees based on the results of primary votes held on March 2, 2010. Both parties' candidates received at least 20 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 election; thus, they must nominate their candidates via primary election.
Any third-party which obtains ballot access must nominate its candidates via a statewide convention, which by law must be held on June 12, 2010. The Libertarian Party obtained ballot access automatically due to its 2008 showing, in which one of its nominees attracted over one million votes.
In the primary election the party's winning candidate must garner a majority of votes cast; otherwise, the top two candidates face each other in a runoff election. However, in the general election, the winning candidate needs only a plurality of votes to be elected Governor.
Independent and write-in candidates may seek ballot access; however, the criteria for such access are quite strict. Nevertheless, in the 2006 election, two independent candidates, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the Republican State Comptroller, and Kinky Friedman, a popular Texas country musician, obtained enough signatures to qualify. The Libertarian nominee, James Werner, was on the ballot automatically because of that party's Texas showing in the 2004 general election.

Ballot access

Political party candidates

Any political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, garnered at least 20 percent of the total votes cast, must nominate all its candidates for all offices sought via primary election. In the 2006 election, both the Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate received this many votes; thus, both parties must hold primary elections using the two-round system. The primary elections must be held on the first Tuesday in March, and a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast in the primary election; otherwise, a runoff election between the top two finishers must be held on the second Tuesday in April.
A political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, received at least two percent but less than 20 percent of the total votes cast, may nominate its candidates for all offices sought via either a primary election or a state convention. If the party chooses to conduct a primary election, it must notify the Texas Secretary of State at least one year prior to the general election date and must nominate all its candidates via primary election. No third-party candidate met this requirement in 2006; the last to do so was the Libertarian Party in 1990.
All other political parties must nominate their candidates via state convention, which by law must be held on the second Saturday in June. In order to qualify for ballot access at the general election, the party must either:
Should an independent gubernatorial candidate seek ballot access in the state of Texas, the candidate must meet the following requirements:
In the event a candidate does not qualify for independent status, the person may still run as a write-in candidate. The candidate must either:

Candidates

Perry

Debra Medina

Hutchison

Polling

Note: polls used different sample sizes and citizen groups. A candidate must have a majority of the vote to avoid a runoff with their second place opponent.
Poll SourceDate
administered		Rick
Perry		Kay Bailey
Hutchison		Debra
Medina		OtherUnde-
cided
Rasmussen Reports February 23, 201048%27%16%—9%
Public Policy Polling February 19–21, 201040%31%20%—9%
Research 2000 February 8–10, 201042%30%17%—11%
Public Policy Polling February 4–7, 201039%28%24%—10%
University of Texas February 1–7, 201045%21%19%—16%
Rasmussen Reports February 1, 201044%29%16%—11%
Rasmussen Reports January 17, 201043%33%12%—11%
Rasmussen Reports November 13, 200946%35%4%—14%
University of Texas November 3, 200942%30%7%4%18%
Rasmussen Reports September 16, 200938%40%3%—19%
Rasmussen Reports July 15, 200946%36%—5%14%
Texas Politics June 11–22, 200938%27%—8%26%
Texas Politics June 11–22, 200938%26%—9%27%
Texas Lyceum June 5–12, 200933%21%—1%41%
Rasmussen Reports May 7, 200942%38%—7%13%
Texas Politics February 24 – Mar. 6, 200929%37%—10%24%
Public Policy Polling February 18–20, 200931%56%———
Texas Lyceum June 12–20, 200822%35%———

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

White

Shami

Polling

* Dropped out prior to the primary.

Results

Election

Candidates

Major

Candidates who have obtained at least 5% or more in at least one pre-election poll

Polling

Results