New poll finds Texas Governor Rick Perry very appealing to Women

From Eric Dondero:

Men are overwhelmingly Republican, while women typically lean Democrat. You would think a rugged individualist, Western conservative like Rick Perry would gain most of his support from men. But something's at work down in Texas that's going against conventional wisdom. And the experts can't figure out why.

From the Austin American-Stateseman, Sept. 28:

this year in Texas, there's something unusual going on. Republican Gov. Rick Perry has a significant lead over Democrat Bill White among women.

"Perry is doing extraordinarily well among women," said Mickey Blum, whose firm, Blum & Weprin Associates Inc., conducted a poll on behalf of the American-Statesman and other newspapers. She said that in years of polling in Texas, this might be the first time she's seen more women than men backing the Republican.

One university professor is "stunned" and has no idea why females might be so attracted to the Governor. Continuing:

Democrats have enjoyed the support of a majority of women for about 30 years, said Sean Theriault, an associate professor in the government department at the University of Texas. Theriault said he's surprised by the poll results, given Perry's lack of desire to participate in a debate this fall and the way he attacked his female opponent, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, in the Republican primary.

Plus, Theriault said, "he's kind of like a man's man," someone who shot a coyote with a gun he was carrying on an early morning run.

"We think of women as being more grounded and fair-minded," Theriault said. "You'd think all those stories would make women even less drawn to him. I'm stunned."