Gov. Perry’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have created a surge in his job-approval rating, according to the latest Texas Poll. “The hurricanes have absolutely done the governor a lot of good,” said poll director Ty Meighan.

The poll showed Perry well positioned for next year’s election, with 49 percent of respondents saying they approve of the way Perry is doing his job, and 37 percent say they disapprove. That's an improvement of 10 percent since September. The poll director said respondents thought Perry was compassionate without leaving Texas stuck with the cost of absorbing those displaced by Katrina (even though we don't yet know what those costs will be).

Those figures weren’t in the DMN this morning, though The News reported Perry’s big lead over Carole Keeton Strayhorn among Republican primary voters – 55 to 24 percent. But the Star Telegram put the figures in perspective by pointing out the governor’s current hurricane halo.

Perry was put into the spotlight when Texas became a haven for hundreds of thousands of Katrina evacuees and then again when thousands of Texans evacuated the Gulf Coast in advance of Rita. Perry, according to the StartleGram, was credited with leading an orderly although sometimes frustrating exodus. I guess compared to Louisiana pols, anybody looks good.

More poll news: Charges against Rep. Tom DeLay may be taking a toll. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll has found that 55 percent of registered voters in his district (the 22^nd congressional district) believe that charges against DeLay are definitely or probably true. DeLay faces money-laundering charges in Texas, although a conspiracy charge has been dropped.

Close to half of the registered voters in the poll say they would be likely to vote for an unnamed Democrat against DeLay. However, when presented with the most prominent potential Democratic opponent – former Rep. Nick Lampson – they draw a blank. Sixty-one percent they were unfamiliar with Lampson. Voters are always more willing to vote for an unnamed opponent in a hypothetical case than for somebody they don’t know in a real race.

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