Mitt Romney Leads, Ron Paul Stumbles in PPP Poll of Texas

Ron Paul is focusing on his home state of Texas as he looks to trip up Mitt Romney, the overwhelming favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, but a new poll shows that he will have problems doing that in the Lone Star State.

A new poll from Public Policy Polling, a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, shows Romney is leading in Texas with 45 percent followed by Newt Gingrich with 35 percent and Paul in distant third with 14 percent.

Even worse for Paul -- who took less than 5 percent in his home state when he ran in 2008 -- the poll shows he is upside down with Texas Republicans. While 37 percent have a favorable opinion of Paul, 48 percent see him in an unfavorable light.

Another poll from PPP shows Romney should be able to keep Texas in the Republican column in November -- but he is not doing as well as John McCain did against Barack Obama in 2008 when he beat him by 13 percent. Romney takes 50 percent while Obama -- bolstered by young voters and Hispanics -- follows with 43 percent.

The poll of 400 Texas Republican primary voters was taken April 19-22 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent. The poll of 591 Texas voters was taken on the same dates and had a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.