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Sunday, November 23, 1997

Most Texans ignorant about who state's key officeholders are

By ANNA M. TINSLEY

Scripps Howard Texas Poll Syndicate

Copyright 1997 Scripps Howard

Most Texans can't name the state's key officeholders, but 82 percent know their governor is George W. Bush, according to The Scripps Howard Texas Poll.

The Poll asked Texans to name officeholders in 10 state and national positions ranging from state agriculture commissioner to the president of the United States.

Ninety-seven percent of Texans can name Bill Clinton as president and 76 percent know Al Gore is vice president.

But after Bush, Clinton and Gore, recognition of some of the state's most powerful politicians drops sharply.

The least recognized Texas politician is House Speaker Pete Laney, who has served in state government for 25 years. He was elected Speaker in 1993.

Only four percent of Texans can name Laney as House Speaker.

Laney, who is elected from the 12-county House District 85 and not statewide, said his numbers aren't bad.

"They are good numbers for a public official whose district only has two-thirds of 1 percent of the people of Texas," Laney said. "But my job is not to promote myself. My goal is to conduct legislative business in a way that encourages public participation and earns the trust and respect of all Texans."

It's unfortunate that Texans aren't familiar with such a key player as Laney, said Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas government professor.

"He decides which issues make it to the House floor for votes and he decides who gets on what committees. He has crucial decisions," Buchanan said. "But he isn't on the speaking circuit, reaching out for state and national publicity.

"And because of that, he isn't as recognized."

Texans in general aren't interested in politics or politicians, Buchanan said.

"For most people, state government is out of sight, out of mind," he said. "Politics is not a big enough part of people's lives for them to study up on the actors."

Of the 10 officeholders Texans were asked to name, only four were named by 30 percent or more of Texans.

"Politics to many is very complex and it turns people off. To them, it's simply boring," said Allan Saxe, associate political professor at the University of Texas in Arlington. "Ask who a state official is, people don't know. But ask who a Dallas Cowboy is and they know."

Clinton receives the overall highest marks for recognition. But the most widely known Texas leader is Bush, who said he appreciates that a majority of Texans know the name of their governor.

"I've worked hard to let people know I am governor of all the people," Bush said. "And now it appears that Texans understand that and know who I am and what I believe."

Buchanan said Texans can name Bush because he's governor and the son of a former president. As governor, Bush receives a great deal of publicity, which helps Texans remember his name.

Attorney General Dan Morales is the second most widely known state official with 30 percent of Texans who can name him.

His high ranking likely stems from his involvement in the state's $8.6 billion lawsuit against the tobacco industry, said Bill Miller, an Austin-based political consultant who represents Republicans and Democrats.

"His recognition is because of the tobacco lawsuit, which is a long-term sustained story that will continue," Miller said. "He's been in the story every time and that keeps his name in people's minds."

Twenty-two percent of Texans can name both Kay Bailey Hutchison and Phil Gramm as the U.S. senators from Texas. Nine percent named just Hutchison, 9 percent named only Gramm but 54 percent say they don't know the names of Texas' U.S. senators.

Seventeen percent of Texans can name John Sharp as State Comptroller and 17 percent know that Garry Mauro is the state Land Commissioner. Only 16 percent of Texans can name Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock -- who has spent more than 30 years in key state positions, including state representative, secretary of state and comptroller.

The lieutenant governor's powers include presiding over the Senate and making Senate committee appointments. The governor's job, in contrast, is largely ceremonial.

And 9 percent know that Rick Perry is Texas' Agriculture Commissioner.

"The ratings are discouraging," UT's Buchanan said. "If people don't know who these politicians are, then they don't know how they've done in office. We are supposed to evaluate these people at the polls. But if we don't know who they are, we can't choose leaders and judge them knowledgeably."

Overall, Texans who have completed graduate work are most knowledgeable of officeholders. Also, men were more likely than women to name the officials. Texans between 18 and 29 years of age were least likely to correctly name officeholders, except for Clinton.

"There's a group of people, involved in politics, who pay attention," said Miller, the Austin political consultant. "As for the rest, people don't get involved unless it directly affects their lives. Politicians just hope the people who know them like them."

The poll, conducted Oct. 27 to Nov. 7, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The Office of Survey Research of the University of Texas surveyed 1,000 adult Texans for Scripps Howard.