AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Gov. Rick Perry defeated Democrat Bill White on Tuesday as the long-serving governor easily won an unprecedented third full four-year term.
With 12 percent of precincts reporting, Perry had 57 percent of the vote compared with White's 41 percent. Perry hammered hard all year on the theme that the Texas economy is better than many states and that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created during his decade in office.
He repeatedly criticized President Barack Obama and national Democrats and tried to link White to them.