Poll numbers show what Texans care about

As reported by The Austin American-Statesman, (atxne.ws/1Up5gtP) the Texas Pulse once again was an accurate predictor of Election Day results. Ted Cruz garnered 43.8 percent of the vote in the Republican Primary, besting Donald Trump with 26.7 and Marco Rubio with 17.7. The Texas Pulse, taken a week before the election, predicted Cruz would win with 38 percent to Trump’s 26 and Rubio’s 13.

The Democratic primary results, with fewer candidates and variables, more closely mirrored the Texas Pulse, which predicted Clinton with 66 percent to Sanders’ 27. Actual Election Day results had Clinton winning 66-33 over Sanders.

The Texas Pulse also covered a number of issues of importance to Texas voters and found that immigration and border security remain the top issues for the state’s Republicans with 46 percent selecting it as their top concern. Meanwhile, only a 3-point margin separates the top two issues for Texas Democrats: 29 percent say the economy is top-of-mind and 26 percent view education as the most important issue facing Texas.

In the wake of Supreme Court Justice Scalia’s death, Texas Republicans and Democrats strongly disagree on who should nominate the new Supreme Court Justice. Since we are in an election year, 74 percent of Texas Republicans compared to 12 percent of Democrats believe President Obama should allow the next president to select the nominee.

Texans were also asked their view on the “direction of the country.” The Texas Pulse found that 90 percent of Republicans strongly felt the country is on the “wrong track,” while 61 percent of Texas Democrats have a more positive view of the country’s future.

These are some of the latest findings of the Texas Pulse, a periodic survey of Texans’ opinions on a variety of cultural, economic and political issues, which is jointly conducted by Crosswind Media & Public Relations and The Austin American-Statesman from February 19-22, 2016 using a survey of 1,031 Texans.