Clayton Williams led Ann Richards by over 30 percentage points in the 1990 Texas gubernatorial race.
Posted by The Michael Berry Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
The Michael Berry ShowSep 15, 2026
No source reports Williams leading Richards by more than 30 points at any point in the 1990 race. The largest lead cited is about twenty points (Wikipedia, unrated), while the polls reported in the sources show leads of roughly 8 to 11 points.
What was said
… screaming the word debate, debate, we have to debate, I told you this, and some of you don't hear me on this: when you hear a candidate for office demanding a debate, it is a cardinal rule of politics: he's losing. That's why you do debates. You're losing. Clayton Williams was up by over 30 percentage points in 1990, and Ann Richards appealed to she pierced the veil of his manhood, and she said, He's scared to debate a woman. Oh, well, Clayton wasn't gonna allow that, and by the time they got to the debate, of course, he dropped down to a 10% lead. …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. A June 1990 Washington Post report on the first independent survey shows Williams at 46% and Richards at 38%, an eight-point lead.[1]
Contradicts. Texas Monthly reports that even after Williams's gaffes, he still led Richards 46 percent to 38 percent in a statewide poll.[2]
Contradicts. Wikipedia says Williams initially led Richards by twenty points and was still ahead by 11 points as late as August, which is well short of 30.[3]
Contradicts. The Los Angeles Times describes Williams holding a double-digit lead early in the race, and D Magazine reports polls showing him ahead by 8 to 10 points in late summer.[4][5]
Context. The final result was Richards 52%, Williams 48%, so Williams did not hold a 30-point lead at any stage that the sources describe.[6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 tier 2, 4 not rated
- 1POLL FINDS WILLIAMS LEADING IN TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL ...washingtonpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
- 2Have Politicians Learned Anything Since Clayton Williams's Campfire Rape 'Joke'?texasmonthly.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 3Clayton Williams - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4Democrat Richards Wins Bitter Contest With Williams : Texaslatimes.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Clayton Williams: Texas Crudedmagazine.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6The 1990 Elections: Governor - Texas; Fierce Election for Governor Is Narrowly Won by Richards (Published 1990)nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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