Texas Gov. Rick Perry's job approval ratings haven't been harmed following his
indictment in August on charges of abusing the power of his office, a new
Texas Lyceum poll shows.
According to the survey, which questioned 1,000 registered voters between Sept. 11-25, Perry still enjoys a positive rating of 57 percent, a ranking that has not changed much over the last year,
reports The Dallas Morning News.
In August, a grand jury indicted the Republican governor on charges that he illegally used his power as governor to threaten to take away funding from the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who was convicted of drunken driving.
Perry threatened to withhold the funding unless she stepped down, and she not only refused, but charged the governor with felony indictments for abuse of official capacity and coercion of a public servant.
In the Texas Lyceum poll, nearly 75 percent of the respondents said they believe the charges against Perry are political. He's not seeking re-election to the governor's seat this fall, but is often mentioned as a candidate in the 2016 presidential race.
Among Texans who had heard about the indictment, 43 percent said it is too soon to tell if he's guilty, 28 percent believe he is innocent, and 22 percent believe he is guilty, said the poll, which carries a margin of error of +/- 3.8 points.
Perry has worked to frame the indictments his own way. RickPAC, is selling parody t-shirts with his jail booking shot on them to raise money for his political funds. In addition, he has discussed the charges on several occasions, calling the accusations a political act.
And Texans seem to agree, University of Texas Professor Daron Shaw told
ABC affiliate KVUE in Austin, and that's likely a result of a growing "cynicism" among voters.
"Part of that's partisanship, but I think part of it is a reflection of the cynicism that people have about the way these things play out in today's world," said Shaw, who helped conduct the poll.
Perry's steady ratings go against a tendency among incumbent governors to see their popularity decline over time.
"Apparently Perry's a little bit of a teflon governor with respect to that movement," said Shaw.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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