HOUSTON -- Political polling is the art of learning what people like Nancy Brokaw really think.

“I don’t really know what to say. I guess I’m sort of disappointed in some of the things that are going on,” she said.

So how will she vote -- if she votes at all?

Pollsters are asking and then predicting.

The nonpartisan Texas Lyceum Poll found that in Texas, John McCain would beat Barack Obama -- but only by five points.

In the race for Senate, incumbent Republican John Cornyn leads Democrat Rick Noriega by just two points.

Most polls have John McCain easily winning Texas by ten points or more, and John Cornyn winning by 15.

But some experts say the Texas Lyceum Poll may have picked up on something the others missed.

“Many believe Texas is ripe for switching. Switching from what was a completely Republican control to a competitive state at least,” said 11 News political expert Bob Stein.

The poll found gas prices and the economy are Texans’ top issues, and Democrats like their odds when voters worry about their pocketbooks.

So the value of the poll might not be its political predictions, but the frustration it found in voter’s minds.

“I think we’ve lost our sense of purpose,” said Brokaw.