The weirdness that is the Texas governorship

I am having to hit the mute button whenever a Rick Perry commercial comes on; he babbles on about intrusive federal government and the 10th amendment, and it just sends me into a rage. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's apparently going to win the Republican nomination for re-election quite handily - I am unsure if a Democratic candidate is thought to have a chance in hell of unseating him. (I know Bill White, the very popular former mayor of Houston, is running on the D. side, but I have no idea if White has any kind of statewide name recognition at all, or who else is running. I think he (White) is rich, though, so that might help some.) The last R. poll I saw had something like Perry 40%, Senator Hutchison 22%, and the crazy tea-party woman whose name I can't remember at something like 19%. So that gives you an idea what we're looking at on the Republican side.