New poll shows Abbott, the presumptive Republican nominee, with an 11-point gap over Davis, the only major Democrat in the race

♦By Rich Shumate, Chickenfriedpolitics.com editor

AUSTIN, Texas (CFP) — Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has opened up a double-digit lead over his Democratic challenger, State Senator Wendy Davis, which is nearly double the lead he held in October.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott

The University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll put Abbott’s support at 47 percent to 36 percent for Davis in a head-to-head match-up. Seventeen percent were undecided or had no opinion.

The latest poll comes on the heels of two controversies that have ensnared to Davis, who rocketed to national fame last summer after filibustering a bill that would have outlawed abortions in Texase after 20 weeks.

First, the Dallas Morning news raised questions about her rags-to-riches campaign biography. Then, Davis gave an interview in which she said she would have supported the anti-abortion bill if it had been worded differently.

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis

The poll found that the percentage of voters who viewed Davis unfavorably rose from 31 percent in October to 36 percent in February, while the number of voters who viewed her favorably stayed steady at 37 percent.

At the same time, Abbott made strong gains in the number of voters who viewed him favorably, which rose from 36 percent to 45 percent. Just 25 percent of voters viewed him unfavorably.

Abbott also continues to hold a staggering advantage in fundraising over Davis. Reports to the Texas Ethics Commission show he has raised $29.4 million for the race, compared to $3.9 million for Davis.

The University of Texas/Texas Tribune internet survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted February 7-17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points.