Why there's a problem with that new poll of the race to unseat Ted Cruz

A new poll of Texas' Senate race from the University of Texas tests Sen. Ted Cruz against his two likeliest general election opponents, but frustratingly, it fails to mention the party affiliation of any candidates. Instead, the survey, which was conducted by YouGov, simply asks respondents which option they'd support as between "Ted Cruz and Roland Gutierrez" and "Ted Cruz and Colin Allred."

It's only several questions earlier that any of these contenders are linked with their party, in matchups looking at each side's March 5 primary. Cruz dominates with 86% against unknown challengers, while Allred, who is serving his third term in Congress, has a wide 52-14 advantage over Gutierrez, a member of the state Senate.

(AdImpact recently reported that Allred had already spent $3 million to promote his candidacy on the airwaves while it's not clear whether Gutierrez has followed suit, though he did just roll out an endorsement from Houston-area Rep. Sylvia Garcia.)