Perry’s poll plunge continues as tea party support erodes

BY DAVE MONTGOMERY, THE FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM

AUSTIN — A precipitous drop in tea party support is contributing to Gov. Rick Perry’s plunge in the polls, undercutting expectations that he would amass a hefty following from the conservative grassroots movement.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Perry, the former GOP front-runner, tied for second with Atlanta businessman Herman Cain at 16 percent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney atop the Republican field with 25 percent. Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C., released a three-state survey that described a “collapse” in Perry’s overall support in North Carolina, Nebraska and West Virginia.

Perry’s supporters, as well as independent analysts, point out that the Republican nomination battle remains unpredictable, saying that Perry, who has never lost an election, still has plenty of time to turn things around.

Perry fund-raisers, eager to portray a campaign on the move, are reportedly preparing to announce quarterly donation totals that exceed expectations. Politico, quoting a source, placed the figure at $15 million — above the campaign’s minimum goal of $10 million — but Perry campaign officials declined to confirm the figures.

President Barack Obama stayed away from direct attacks on the Republican governor Tuesday during an appearance in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, but Ron Kirk, the president’s trade ambassador and Dallas’ first black mayor, suggested to reporters that Perry’s presidential bid is running aground.

“Too often the brightest stars are comets. But they flame out the fastest because they consume themselves on their own energy,” Kirk told reporters on Air Force One. “I think there are some lessons to be learned there in life and in politics. How quickly and how brightly we burn.”

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