| Election Name: | 2010 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Texas |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | No |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2014 Texas gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 2010 |
| Turnout: | 38% (of registered voters) 27% (of eligible voters)[1] |
| Nominee2: | Bill White |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 2,106,395 |
| Percentage2: | 42.30% |
| Image1: | File:Rick Perry by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Rick Perry |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,737,481 |
| Percentage1: | 54.97% |
| Map Size: | 310px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Rick Perry |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Rick Perry |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2010 Texas gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Rick Perry ran successfully for election to a third consecutive term. He won the Republican primary against U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and political newcomer, Debra Medina. The former mayor of Houston, Bill White, won the Democratic nomination. Kathie Glass, a lawyer from Houston and previous candidate for Texas Attorney General, won the Libertarian nomination. Deb Shafto was the nominee of the Texas Green Party. Andy Barron, an orthodontist from Lubbock, was a declared write-in candidate.
Exit polls showed Perry winning Whites (71% to 29%), while White performed well among African Americans (88% to 12%) and Latinos (61% to 38%). Perry's fourth inauguration for a third full four-year term began on January 18, 2011, on the State Capitol South Grounds. As of 2023, this is the last time Foard, Falls, Trinity, Reeves, La Salle and Kleberg counties voted for the Democratic candidate for governor.
Note: polls used different sample sizes and citizen groups. A candidate must have a majority of the vote (>50%) to avoid a runoff with their second place opponent.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Rick Perry | Kay Bailey Hutchison | Debra Medina | Other | Unde- cided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | February 23, 2010 | align=center | 48% | 27% | 16% | — | 9% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 19–21, 2010 | align=center | 40% | 31% | 20% | — | 9% | |
| Research 2000 (report) | February 8–10, 2010 | align=center | 42% | 30% | 17% | — | 11% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 4–7, 2010 | align=center | 39% | 28% | 24% | — | 10% | |
| University of Texas (report) | February 1–7, 2010 | align=center | 45% | 21% | 19% | — | 16% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 1, 2010 | align=center | 44% | 29% | 16% | — | 11% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | January 17, 2010 | align=center | 43% | 33% | 12% | — | 11% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | November 13, 2009 | align=center | 46% | 35% | 4% | — | 14% | |
| University of Texas (report) | November 3, 2009 | align=center | 42% | 30% | 7% | 4% | 18% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 16, 2009 | 38% | align=center | 40% | 3% | — | 19% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 15, 2009 | align=center | 46% | 36% | — | 5% | 14% | |
| Texas Politics (report) | June 11–22, 2009 | align=center | 38% | 27% | — | 8% | 26% | |
| align=center | 38% | 26% | — | 9% | 27% | |||
| Texas Lyceum (report) | June 5–12, 2009 | align=center | 33% | 21% | — | 1% | 41% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 7, 2009 | align=center | 42% | 38% | — | 7% | 13% | |
| Texas Politics (report) | February 24 – March 6, 2009 | 29% | align=center | 37% | — | 10% | 24% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 18–20, 2009 | 31% | align=center | 56% | — | — | — | |
| Texas Lyceum (report) | June 12–20, 2008 | 22% | align=center | 35% | — | — | — |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Felix Alvarado | Alma Aguado | Kinky Friedman*! style="width:70px;"| Tom Schieffer* | Bill White | Farouk Shami | Unde- cided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 19–21, 2010 | 5% | 3% | — | — | align=center | 59% | 12% | align=center | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 4–7, 2010 | 5% | 2% | — | — | align=center | 49% | 19% | align=center | 24% |
| University of Texas (report) | October 20–27, 2009 | 2% | — | align=center | 19% | 10% | — | — | 55% | |
| University of Texas (report) | June 11–22, 2009 | — | — | align=center | 12% | 2% | — | — | 62% | |
| Texas Lyceum (report) | June 5–12, 2007 | — | — | align=center | 10% | 6% | — | — | 73% | |
| Wilson Research (report) | September 21, 2007 | — | — | 9% | — | align=center | 12% | — | 30% |
* Dropped out prior to the primary.
| Source | Ranking | As of | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[8] | October 14, 2010 | ||
| Rothenberg[9] | October 28, 2010 | ||
| RealClearPolitics[10] | November 1, 2010 | ||
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[11] | October 28, 2010 | ||
| CQ Politics[12] | October 28, 2010 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Rick Perry (R) | Kathie Glass (L) | Bill White (D) | Other | Unde- cided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (report) | October 26–28, 2010 | 568 | ± 4.1% | align=center | 53% | — | 44% | — | 3% | |
| Lighthouse Opinion and Polling Research (report) | October 15–17, 2010 | 1200 | ± 2.9% | align=center | 48% | 3% | 37% | 1% | 11% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | September 2–6, 2010 | 538 | ± 4.2% | align=center | 48% | — | 42% | — | 10% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 22, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 49% | — | 41% | 3% | 7% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 13, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 50% | — | 41% | 2% | 7% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | June 19–21, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 43% | — | 43% | — | 14% | ||
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 16, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 48% | — | 40% | 5% | 8% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 13, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 51% | — | 38% | 4% | 6% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | April 14, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 48% | — | 44% | 2% | 6% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | align=center | 49% | — | 43% | 3% | 6% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 22, 2010 | 1,200 | ± 3.0% | align=center | 47% | — | 41% | 5% | 7% | |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | February 4–7, 2010 | 1,200 | ± 2.8% | align=center | 48% | — | 42% | — | 10% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | February 1, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | align=center | 48% | — | 39% | 5% | 8% | |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | January 17, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 3.0% | align=center | 50% | — | 40% | 4% | 6% |
Texas does not have term limits for its governors; thus, gubernatorial incumbents have been free to run as often as they want if they are eligible for the office. The Republicans and Democrats chose their gubernatorial nominees based on the results of primary votes held on March 2, 2010 (the first Tuesday in March.[13]) Both parties' candidates received at least 20 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 election; thus, they must nominate their candidates via primary election.[14] Any third party that obtains ballot access must nominate its candidates via a statewide convention, which by law must be held on June 12, 2010 (the second Saturday in June.[15]) The Libertarian Party obtained ballot access automatically due to its 2008 showing, in which one of its nominees attracted over one million votes.
In the primary election, the party's winning candidate must garner a majority (over 50%) of votes cast; otherwise, the top two candidates face each other in a runoff election. However, in the general election, the winning candidate needs only a plurality of votes to be elected Governor (as was the case with the 2006 election and the 1990 election, in which Libertarian Jeff Daiell attracted over 129,000 votes). Independent and write-in candidates may seek ballot access; however, the criteria for such access are quite strict (see "Ballot Access" below). Nevertheless, in the 2006 election, two independent candidates, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the Republican State Comptroller, and Kinky Friedman, a popular Texas country musician, obtained enough signatures to qualify. The Libertarian nominee, James Werner, was on the ballot automatically because of that party's Texas showing in the 2004 general election.
Any political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, garnered at least 20 percent of the total votes cast, must nominate all its candidates for all offices sought via primary election.[14] In the 2006 election, both the Democratic candidate (Chris Bell) and the Republican candidate (Rick Perry) received this many votes; thus, both parties must hold primary elections using the two-round system. The primary elections must be held on the first Tuesday in March,[13] and a candidate must receive a majority of votes cast in the primary election;[16] otherwise, a runoff election between the top two finishers must be held[17] on the second Tuesday in April.[18]
A political party whose candidate for governor, during the 2006 election, received at least two percent but less than 20 percent of the total votes cast, may nominate its candidates for all offices sought via either a primary election (using the two-round system) or a state convention. If the party chooses to conduct a primary election, it must notify the Texas Secretary of State at least one year prior to the general election date and must nominate all its candidates via primary election.[19] No third-party candidate met this requirement in 2006; the last to do so was the Libertarian Party in 1990 (when nominee Jeff Daiell polled over 3.3% of the vote).
All other political parties must nominate their candidates via state convention,[20] which by law must be held on the second Saturday in June.[15] In order to qualify for ballot access at the general election, the party must either:
Should an independent gubernatorial candidate seek ballot access in the state of Texas, the candidate must meet the following requirements:
In the event a candidate does not qualify for independent status, the person may still run as a write-in candidate. The candidate must either:[30]
Debate:
Voter resources:
Republican candidates for Governor:
Democratic candidates for Governor:
Libertarian candidate for governor:
Third party/Independent candidates for Governor: