GOP Challenger Bill Flores pulls ahead

From Eric Dondero:

Chet Edwards has been a thorn in Republican's sides for decades. A liberal in moderate clothing Democrat in the heart of conservative Texas country, Edwards has managed to squeek by in reelection bid after reelection bid, against some well-funded and rather strong GOP contenders. Finally, his days may be numbered.

A new poll finds him 12 points behind the GOP nominee. From Rothenberg Report via Texas Monthly:

A new Republican poll obtained by the Rothenberg Political Report shows ten-term Democratic Congressman Chet Edwards (Texas 17) trailing challenger Bill Flores (R) by a dozen points. But Edwards, who isn’t releasing his own survey, remains confident that he can turn the contest from a referendum on President Barack Obama and national atmospherics into a choice between the two candidates.

The new survey of 400 likely voters, conducted May 2-3 by OnMessage Inc, a GOP firm, shows Edwards remains popular in the Republican-leaning district, with a name I.D. of 53% favorable/38% unfavorable.

But when matched against challenger Bill Flores (photo), who recently won a run-off to become the Republican nominee, Flores holds a 53%-41% lead over Edwards. Flores’s name identification is just 37% favorable/10% unfavorable.

Bryan Preston, Communications Director for the Republican Party of Texas told Libertarian Republican:

"Flores is out of the gate showing that he's not only competitive, but he's in a strong position to send Edwards into early retirement and bring more real conservative principles to Congress."