AUSTIN -- Despite another big endorsement in the Republican primary race for the Governor's Mansion, at least one expert said Thursday it might not have a big impact at the polls.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to make his endorsement of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, formal next month.
When asked by reporters about the endorsement, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, quipped, "I love Sarah Palin."
The former Alaska governor who has already endorsed him will make a visit to Texas in early 2010, Perry said.
"You bet, she's a great conservative and a good friend and we look forward to her being here," he said.
For her part, Sen. Hutchison told WBAP-AM in Dallas she's "so pleased" by the endorsement she expects to get soon from the former vice president.
"He's very popular with the base of the Republican Party," said Professor Paul Stekler of the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas. "They're conservative, he's conservative."
Still, Stekler said the former vice president's endorsement might not be a boon to Hutchison's campaign either. Moreover, he said that's true for most campaigns.
"It's unclear to me that endorsements have that big an impact," he said, especially given Perry and Hutchison's long-standing prominence in state politics.
While the road to the Governor's Mansion has, so far, been paved with endorsements based on everything from toll roads to private property rights, many voters say they're not paying attention to them.
"I think voters need to check it for themselves and not listen to somebody else's opinion," said Sandra Chatfield, voter.
Another voter, Bobby Gleen, said, "I tend to follow politics pretty closely, so I study up on the different candidates and tend to make up my own mind."
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