Poll Shows State Sen. John Whitmire as Mayoral Frontrunner
The Houston Region Business Coalition (HRBC) and Protect and Serve Texas PAC (PSTX PAC) today released the results of a jointly commissioned city-wide poll showing crime as the top issue for Houstonians in the next mayoral race. The poll, conducted by Ragnar Research Partners, also shows State Senator John Whitmire as the frontrunner heading into the November election.
“Houston voters believe addressing crime is a major issue in the upcoming election for Mayor,” said Ragnar Research Partners’ Chris Perkins.
Perkins goes on to add, “As the Mayoral election currently stands, Whitmire is the most competitive announced candidate. He has strong name recognition with three out of four voters, and he is viewed positively. In the full ballot and in head-to-head matchups, Whitmire begins the Mayoral campaign with a commanding lead.”
29% of voters cite crime as their top issue in the next mayoral election with the poll showing one quarter of voters have personally been victims of crime and nearly half of voters have friends or family who are crime victims. These results are reflected in the fact that a majority of voters are more likely to vote for an announced candidate endorsed by first responders: the Fire Fighters Association and/or the Police Officers’ Union.
Among the announced Mayoral candidates, State Senator John Whitmire has the most competitive image. He has high name ID (roughly 3 in 4 know him) and a plurality have already formed a favorable opinion of him (39%). This is reflected on the ballot.
Whitmire has over three times the ballot share on the full ballot than any other announced candidate. In head-to-head scenarios, Whitmire leads by over 20-points regardless of his opponent.
In a head-to-head scenario with former City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards, Whitmire leads 41% to 17%. In a similar scenario with former Harris County Clerk, Chris Hollins, Whitmire leads 39% to 14%.
HRBC and PSTX PAC have not endorsed any candidate running for Houston Mayor.
To read the full memo, click here.
This poll was conducted with a survey of n=500 Likely Municipal Voters (LVs) across the City of Houston. Interviews were conducted February 21 through February 23, 2023, by live telephone operators, including landlines (18%) and cell phones (82%). Quotas on age, gender, ethnicity, education, and region were used to ensure a representative distribution. The study’s margin of error is ±4%.
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