Texas Governor Greg Abbot has a commanding lead over Democrat challenger Beto O’Rourke amongst independent voters.

The Hill reports:

The survey, conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, finds Abbott leading the former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate by a 47 percent to 37 percent margin. Abbott leads O’Rourke among independents 42 percent to 21 percent.

Abbott faces two challengers from the right in next month’s primary election, but he appears comfortably ahead in his bid for a third term in office. Six in ten Republican primary voters say they will vote to renominate Abbott; former Rep. Allen West (R) takes 15 percent, and former state Sen. Don Huffines (R) claims 14 percent.

Another candidate who shares the name of Abbott’s predecessor, Rick Perry, takes 5 percent, while 3 percent say they favor Chad Prather (R), a conservative radio personality.

Just 44 percent of voters say they approve of the job Abbott is doing, driven in part by at least some division among members of his own party. About three in four Republicans approve of Abbott’s job performance, lower than the levels of support most other governors enjoy among their own side. Forty-two percent, including three-quarters of Democrats, disapprove of Abbott’s job performance.

A majority of voters say they approve of the way Abbott has handled the economy, immigration, and border security issues and the coronavirus pandemic but not how he handled the electric grid which failed during winter storms last year.