Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) continues to face an uphill climb in her race for the governor's mansion, a new poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling finds.
The survey, released Tuesday, found Davis trailing her Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, 51 percent to 37 percent, among registered voters. The results show little evidence of movement in the race, with three of the four polls conducted since January giving Abbott a double-digit lead. No public polls on the matchup have found him less than 6 percentage points ahead.
PPP also found Davis' favorability rating underwater, with 33 percent of voters viewing her favorably and 47 percent viewing her unfavorably. Abbott is better liked, with 40 percent of voters rating him favorably and just 27 percent rating him unfavorably. Since PPP last polled the race in November, Abbott's favorable rating has risen by 5 points while Davis' has fallen by 3 points.
Perhaps most surprisingly, more women view Davis unfavorably than favorably, though she made equal pay for women a key campaign issue. On the question of whom respondents would vote for, female voters preferred Abbott by 8 points.
Davis rocketed into the national consciousness following her 11-hour filibuster in the Texas Senate last June to protect abortion rights.
PPP surveyed 559 voters April 10-13, using automated phone calls and an Internet panel to reach those without landlines.