Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues to perform well within the Republican presidential field even though he is not yet an official candidate. According to a new Public Policy Polling survey (July 21-24; 400 registered Virginia voters), Perry scores 20 percent among Virginia Republican voters. former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is second with 16 percent; Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN-6) places third at 15 percent. Ex-vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, like Perry an unannounced candidate, is next posting 13 percent. Retired businessman Herman Cain is the final candidate registering in double-digits. He claims 10 percent in the PPP Virginia poll.
Perry’s performance in this poll is rather stunning. The Texas governor places first but has the lowest name identification (62 percent) among all of the top-tier candidates, including Cain (64 percent). It’s extraordinary for the least-known candidate to command the top position and suggests that the Lone Star State governor has a very high national ceiling. This bodes very well for his future campaign effort.
The Old Dominion is a key state on the road to the GOP nomination because it uses a winner-take-all format, meaning the primary victor is awarded all 49 allocated delegates. Under 2012 Republican National Committee rules, 1,212 delegate votes are required to win the presidential nomination. Democrats no longer allow the winner-take-all model.
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