Gov. Rick Perry has an unusual cheering section back in Texas as he buses across Iowa in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his struggling presidential campaign: Democrats, especially those in Dallas County.
It?s not that Texas Democrats want any part of a Perry presidency. But as liberal candidates and operatives eye the local and state races that will also be on the ballot in this year?s general election, many think Perry?s name on the GOP ballot would rally Democratic support and help tilt swing districts to their party.
?Rick Perry at the top of the ticket doesn?t bother me one bit,? said Allen Vaught, a Dallas Democrat who?s weighing another state House run after being voted out in 2010. ?In fact, I?d almost welcome it.?
It?s difficult to know how much the name headlining the ticket affects the results of state House, county commissioner and other down-ballot races. That?s doubly true this year, with the GOP presidential race in flux and Perry a long shot to win.
But excitement about Barack Obama?s 2008 campaign propelled Democrats to upset victories, including former state Rep. Carol Kent of Dallas. And in 2010, backlash against Obama helped Republicans win control of the U.S. House and make gains elsewhere, even though the president wasn?t on the ballot.
The theory is that the top contests on the ballot, including the presidential race, drive people to the polls who might otherwise skip voting. And thanks to straight-ticket voting, many reward an entire slate of candidates as they punish the other party.
Even with that in mind, the thought of any Texas Democrats rooting for Perry to win the GOP nomination is odd.
Perry has been the proverbial thorn in Democrats? side for years. He?s been governor for more than a decade, easily defeating Bill White in 2010 to win an unprecedented third four-year term. He has imposed his will on all levels of Texas government, marginalizing Democrats in the process.
And a Perry comeback would no doubt generate enthusiasm among his base in Texas and elsewhere.
?Look back at what happened in 2000,? state Republican Party spokesman Chris Elam said, referring to George W. Bush?s successful presidential run. ?That same kind of excitement and fervor would pop up if Governor Perry secures the nomination.?
But turnout skyrockets in presidential election years, which some experts said favors Democrats. And for all Perry?s political prowess ? after all, he has never lost an election ? the governor has fared worse than other Republicans farther down the ballot in recent years.
?He?s not a person that has aggrandized the Republican majorities in Texas, although he?s certainly taken advantage of them,? said Jim Riddlesperger, a political scientist at Texas Christian University.
Perry outpaced the ticket, or at least kept up, in his first gubernatorial election in 2002. But in his last two races, he has run behind the rest of the GOP ballot in Dallas and Tarrant counties, among other places.
In 2010, he received fewer votes in Dallas County than any other Republican candidate.
?I don?t know that Rick Perry has ever had coattails, even on his best day,? said Harold Cook, a Texas Democratic consultant. ?And this year, this election, isn?t his best day.?
Texas Democrats, particularly those in steadily blue Dallas County, say that discontent with Perry?s tenure could work in their favor, depending on how maps for congressional and legislative districts are ultimately drawn. The governor?s presidential campaign, which has featured notable stumbles and gaffes, likewise has some champing at the bit.
?Obama vs. Perry?? said Darlene Ewing, chairwoman of the Dallas County Democrats. ?People would turn out in droves.?
Dallas-area Republicans, meanwhile, acknowledge that Perry?s statewide success hasn?t necessarily given them a boost elsewhere on the ballot. But they point out that Obama remains unpopular among a large number of voters.
And Dallas County GOP chairman Wade Emmert said that regardless of whom the party nominates for president, Republicans are well-positioned for success in 2012.
?We can win Texas and win in Dallas County without trying to duplicate what the president had in 2008,? he said.
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