Election 2016: Ahead Of Texas Primary, Many Texans Aren't Too Fond Of The Candidates, Poll Says

Texas residents are known for having strong opinions, and primary voters are making one thing clear — they aren’t too thrilled with the presidential candidates in either the Republican or Democratic Party. In fact, about half of Texas primary voters think former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz would be poor or even terrible presidents, according to a poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune released Wednesday.

Among likely primary voters, 42 percent said billionaire businessman Trump would be a terrible president, while 13 percent said he would be a poor president. Democratic candidate Clinton got similar marks, with 49 percent saying she would be a terrible president and 7 percent saying she would fair poorly. Some 12 percent said Clinton would be great, while 12 percent said the same for Trump.

“Democrats are more content with their candidates than Republicans are,” Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas-Austin and co-director of the poll, told the Texas Tribune. “You’re seeing a somewhat more civilized disagreement in the Democratic Party than you are in the Republican Party. They haven’t alienated as many of the people they are trying to attract.”

Primaries for both parties in Texas take place March 1, among the 13 states holding votes on what's known as Super Tuesday . The new survey looked at 1,200 registered voters in Texas and was conducted Feb. 12-19.

Clinton still maintains a lead over Sanders with probable Texas primary voters, with 54 percent to Sanders’ 33 percent, the Texas Tribune reported Tuesday. Cruz leads Trump in his home state, but only by 8 percent. Trump is trying to establish a foothold in Texas, where a win for Cruz — who has lost two primaries and a caucus to Trump — could prove vital to the future of his campaign.