ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barack Obama has a double digit lead over Hillary Clinton in Texas, according to a statewide survey of 678 registered voters planning to vote in the March 4 Democratic Primary. The survey was conducted February 20 and 21 by Decision Analyst, a major national survey research firm. Decision Analyst projections indicate that if the election were held today Obama would win 57% to 43% over Clinton. The survey’s margin of error is 3 percentage points, plus or minus, at a 90% level of confidence.

For the Republican Primary, Decision Analyst projections indicate a John McCain win over Mike Huckabee 59% to 35%, with Ron Paul at 6%. These results are based on interviews with 399 registered voters planning to vote in the March 4 Republican Primary in Texas. The survey’s margin of error is 4 percentage points, plus or minus, at a 90% level of confidence.

“As the second most populous state, Texas’ delegate count is large, and an Obama win of the magnitude indicated by our survey would most likely propel Obama to the Democratic nomination,” according to Jerry W. Thomas, President/CEO of Decision Analyst. “It is still two weeks to the March 4 election, and many things can happen, but as of today, Obama has a commanding lead.”

“On the Republican side, McCain appears poised to have one of his highest percentage wins, although Huckabee still seems able to easily get 30% or so of the Republican vote,” said Thomas.

The issues of greatest importance to those who plan to vote in the Democratic Primary are (in order of importance): making healthcare more affordable (chosen by 35%); making the economy stronger and better (chosen by 29%); bringing the troops home from Iraq (28%); leadership (ability to manage government, work with world leaders, get things done) (17%); reducing gasoline prices and the cost of energy (16%).

The issues of greatest importance to those who will vote in the Republican Primary are very different from the Democratic voters. The key Republican issues: protecting the U.S. from illegal immigration (39%); fighting terrorism (31%); making the economy stronger and better (29%); character (honesty, ethics, and integrity of candidate) (27%); leadership (ability to manage government, work with world leaders, get things done) (19%).

Survey Methodology. Results based on scientific sampling of registered voters from American Consumer Opinion® (www.acop.com), one of the largest online research panels in the world. The sample was carefully balanced by gender, ethnicity, age, and geography; the data were weighted as necessary to fully represent the different demographic groups.

Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com), based in Dallas-Fort Worth, is a leading international marketing research and marketing consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy research, new product development, and advanced modeling for decision optimization. In addition, Decision Analyst owns and operates American Consumer Opinion® Online, one of the largest research panels in the world with over 7 million members.

For more information, please contact Jerry W. Thomas, president/CEO of Decision Analyst at 817-640-6166 or by email at jthomas@decisionanalyst.com. You can visit Decision Analyst’s website at www.decisionanalyst.com.