Moments after the polls closed in all Texas time zones, AP declared former Houston Mayor Bill White the winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

On the GOP side, Gov. Rick Perry is maintaining a double-digit lead over his two challengers. Most significantly, he is above 50 percent, meaning he would avoid a six-week runoff campaign.

Looking ahead to the general election, Perry leads White by 5.5 in the RCP Average for Texas Governor.

UPDATE: The RGA issued this statement on White's victory:

“While we will never take anything for granted, we would be a lot more concerned if Bill White were the democratic candidate in New York where his opposition to the 2nd Amendment, push for tax increases, and staunch support for other items on the leftist agenda might be a bit more palatable. It is going to cost the Democratic Governors Association a lot more than a half-million dollars of trial lawyer and big labor union money to give Bill White's record the extreme makeover it needs.

“Once Texans get a clear picture of Bill White's liberal record, I think they will collectively say, ‘Houston, we have a problem.'”

--------------------------------------------
Follow the RCP Blog on Twitter.
Become a fan of RCP on Facebook.
--------------------------------------------