Online poll on Cheney's impact...

Right now in this unscientific poll people are reacting negatively against Cheney's endorsement of Kay (link). Excerpt follows...

James Henson, the director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said support from a staunch conservative such as Cheney helps Hutchison combat claims from the Perry campaign that she is not a true conservative.

"A lot of this is clearly about trying to burnish her conservative credentials," he said. "It's hard not to read it that way when you come right down to it." During Tuesday night's endorsement in Houston, Hutchison campaign staffers tweeted updates with pictures of the two and quotes from Cheney hailing Hutchison as a true conservative.

"We westerners know the difference between a real talker and the real deal," Cheney said in Houston. "When it comes to being conservative, Kay Bailey Hutchison is the real deal." Some El Paso Republicans, though, said the endorsement would not sway votes in the Republican primary.

Republican Party chairman Michael Moore said Cheney does not live in Texas or understand the state's issues.

He said Cheney is respected in El Paso but his endorsement does not carry as much clout as that of other Texans like former president George W. Bush.

Bush has not endorsed either candidate.

"It just has no bearing on the issue of who should be governor of Texas," Moore said about Cheney's endorsement. "He is obviously supporting her based on his knowledge of her and her work in the senate but that doesn't necessarily transfer to the governorship."

Cal Jillson was not all that impressed with Cheney's visit (link). Excerpt follows...

Cheney's blessing represents the highest profile endorsement Hutchison has gotten so far. Support from the former vice president, who remains popular with many conservative activists, could help Hutchison shore up her right flank.

Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said Cheney may feel more comfortable about Hutchison's knowledge of national security issues — an area that continues to provoke passionate speeches from the former vice president.

Jillson said the nod could help Hutchison with some social conservatives who view her with suspicion, but only a little.

"You'd rather have it than not, but it's not a game-changer," Jillson said.

True... if anything it might scare off some of Kay's natural constituency, the moderates and liberals...