The Week in the Rearview Mirror

A new Rasmussen Poll has Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison ten points apart in the GOP gubernatorial primary (he's still ahead) and says Debra Medina has the support of 12 percent — enough to put her solidly in spoiler territory. That's enough, apparently, to get Medina into the final debate on January 29.Their survey of "likely GOP primary voters" gives Rick Perry 43 percent, Kay Bailey Hutchison 33 percent, and Debra Medina 12 percent, with 11 percent not sure how they'll vote. If the numbers broke like that come election day, there'd be a runoff between the top two contenders. With that news, Belo Corp. said on its website that it would relent and invite Medina to join a January 29 debate between Hutchison and Perry. Voters generally like the candidates: 73 percent have a very or somewhat favorable impression of Hutchison to 25 percent with somewhat or very unfavorable impression; Perry was 72 percent positive, 26 percent negative; and Medina was 43 percent positive and 29 percent negative. Two-thirds said Hutchison should keep her federal office while she runs for governor. Most of the Republicans — 73 percent — strongly disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. Rasmussen surveyed 831 voters on Sunday. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percent.