Perry Leads KBH by 12 points via non-partisan Texas Lyceum Poll

As the weather heats up in Texas, the race for the GOP nomination is heating up as well -- and recently released non-partisan polls appear to be another blow to the Senator in DC, who is attempting to defeat a fellow Republican for the Governorship.

In a poll released by the non-partisan leadership group Texas Lyceum, KBH is trailing by 12 points to Gov. Perry -- and I'm told the internals are even worse.

Digging inside the Lyceum poll, you see that 58% of the voters polled agreed with Rick Perry’s rejection of the federal unemployment stimulus funds, 64% oppose the bank and car bailouts that Senator Hutchison voted for -- and two-thirds say the federal government is spending too much.

As Liberal Blogger Paul Burka wrote, “These numbers are great for Rick Perry, bad for Hutchison. She voted for the bank bailout…It was the responsible thing to do, and it will probably turn out well. But it is very unpopular.”

For those worried that Democrats are making inroads in Texas, after parsing the poll, Burka closes with this, “This is the problem for Democrats. Independent voters are leaving the Republican party. They see themselves as independents. They’re angry at their old party, but the Democrats have not been able to win over the Independents."