Rasmussen's latest poll in Texas finds Gov. Rick Perry (R) edging closer to an outright victory in next Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial primary.

Primary Election Matchup (500 LVs, 2/23, MoE +/- 4.5%)
Perry 48 (+4 vs. last poll, 2/1)
Hutchison 27 (-2)
Medina 16 (unch)
Und 9 (-2)

Medina's 9/11 "truther' stumble may have stalled her momentum, to Perry's benefit. Per Rasmussen, Perry now gets 56 percent of the vote among self-described conservatives, compared to Hutchison's 22 percent and Medina's 16 percent. Perry led by just 18 points among conservatives in the February 1 poll.

Looking to the general election, former Houston Mayor Bill White (D) seems poised to give Perry a real challenge.

General Election Matchups (1,200 LVs, 2/22, MoE +/- 3%)
Perry 47 (-1 vs. last poll)
White 41 (+2)
Und 7 (-1)

Hutchison 47 (-2)
White 38 (+2)
Und 7 (unch)

White 47 (+9)
Medina 37 (-4)
Und 9 (-7)

A GOP runoff, if necessary, could further boost White's chances, as DGA chair Jack Markell told RCP this weekend.

"There may be a runoff a month later. That extra month gives Mayor White the opportunity to continue to raise money and get his message out while Republicans are fighting each other. And that sets us up pretty well. Obviously it's a difficult state, but he is an extraordinarily good candidate, a good fundraiser. The fact that he is within I believe single digits in most of the polls that have come out, when he's not yet really all that well-known outside of Houston, I think is a very good sign.

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