Austin (AP) After the Uvalde school massacre and a strict abortion ban, Republican Texas Governor Poll Abbott defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke to win a third term.
After record spending of over $200 million in a state where Republicans have seen their lopsided victories shrink, Abbott’s victory showed his durability.
In a rapidly changing Texas—a booming juggernaut of 29 million people that is becoming younger, less white, and a magnet for major companies—Abbott remained a GOP bulwark against a high-profile and hard-charging challenger. Abbott capitalized on fears about crime and inflation against a charismatic rival who fought for voters soured by mass shootings, an abortion ban, and the deadly 2021 power grid failure.
Two of Texas’ biggest political figures—one who has run for president and the other who may run—are now on the opposite.
Abbott, 64, became the state’s second-longest-serving governor and a potential 2024 presidential candidate. He has maximized executive power like few of his predecessors in Texas, overseeing a $4 billion border operation to curb immigration while crushing right-wing challengers and lavishly spending to sideline legislative critics.
After a victory that aggressively courted South Texas Hispanic voters and seized on economic anxieties and recession fears, he will remain buffeted by a solid GOP majority in the Legislature. According to AP VoteCast, about 3,400 Texas voters regard the economy as the nation’s top problem.
Austin (AP) After the Uvalde school shooting and a draconian abortion restriction, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke to earn a third term.
Photo by: Brandon Bell
After the unprecedented expenditure of over $200 million in a state where Republicans have seen their landslide wins decrease, Abbott’s triumph showed his tenacity.
In a quickly changing Texas—a bustling powerhouse of 29 million people that is increasingly younger, less white, and a magnet for large companies—Abbott remained a GOP bastion against a high-profile and hard-charging rival. Abbott exploited fears about crime and inflation against a charismatic competitor who fought for voters soured by mass killings, an abortion prohibition, and the catastrophic 2021 power system meltdown.
Two of Texas’ top political figures—one who has run for president and the other who may run—are now on different paths.
Abbott, 64, became the state’s second-longest-serving governor and a prospective 2024 presidential candidate. He has utilized executive authority like few of his predecessors in Texas, overseeing a $4 billion border operation to halt immigration while crushing right-wing rivals and lavishly spending to suppress legislative critics.
After a campaign that actively courted South Texas Hispanic voters and pounced on economic worries and recession fears, he will remain buffeted by a substantial GOP majority in the Legislature. According to AP VoteCast, about 3,400 Texas voters regard the economy as the nation’s top problem.
Nearly 6 in 10 voters support Abbott’s plan to send asylum-seekers to northern Democratic states.
Texas Governor Poll: O’Rourke considers moving on
Photo by: Brandon Bell
The former congressman, who rose to Democratic superstardom after almost winning a U.S. Senate contest in 2018, lost his third election in four years, darkening his once-bright future.
Austin (AP) After the Uvalde school shooting and a draconian abortion restriction, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke to earn a third term.
After the unprecedented expenditure of over $200 million in a state where Republicans have seen their landslide wins decrease, Abbott’s triumph showed his tenacity.
In a quickly changing Texas—a bustling powerhouse of 29 million people that is increasingly younger, less white, and a magnet for large companies—Abbott remained a GOP bastion against a high-profile and hard-charging rival. Abbott exploited fears about crime and inflation against a charismatic competitor who fought for voters soured by mass killings, an abortion prohibition, and the catastrophic 2021 power system meltdown.
Two of Texas’ top political figures—one who has run for president and the other who may run—are now on different paths.
Abbott, 64, became the state’s second-longest-serving governor and a prospective 2024 presidential candidate. He has utilized executive authority like few of his predecessors in Texas, overseeing a $4 billion border operation to halt immigration while crushing right-wing rivals and lavishly spending to suppress legislative critics.
After a campaign that actively courted South Texas Hispanic voters and pounced on economic worries and recession fears, he will remain buffeted by a substantial GOP majority in the Legislature. According to AP VoteCast, about 3,400 Texas voters regard the economy as the nation’s top problem.
Nearly 6 in 10 voters support Abbott’s plan to relocate asylum-seekers to northern Democratic states.
The former congressman, who rose to Democratic superstardom after almost winning a U.S. Senate contest in 2018, lost his third election in four years, darkening his once-bright future.
Why AP called Texas for Greg Abbott Gov., Greg Abbott had a large lead in the same 13 Texas counties he won in 2018 and that Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke won in a Senate race.
Photo by: Shelby Tauber
The Associated Press predicted Abbott would win the Texas governorship on Tuesday.
O’Rourke, a 2020 presidential candidate from El Paso, wanted to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in America’s most populous red state in over 30 years.
After the Uvalde elementary school shooting, gun control debates shaped this year’s gubernatorial race.
Abbott never trailed in the midterm race, which raised over $100 million.
During a rigorous yearlong campaign across Texas, O’Rourke did not indicate whether this would be his final attempt for governor. However, his 2019 Democratic presidential primary flame-out exposed his liberal ideas, which turned off Texans he needed to win back home.
Abbott exploited President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings by running ads that morphed O’Rourke and Biden’s faces and portrayed their policies as identical. O’Rourke used the Uvalde shooting and Abbott’s abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest to energize Democratic voters.
8 in 10 Texas voters say the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion, influenced their vote. Only 10% of Americans say abortion is the biggest issue.
Austin (AP) After the Uvalde school shooting and a draconian abortion restriction, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke to earn a third term.
After the unprecedented expenditure of over $200 million in a state where Republicans have seen their landslide wins decrease, Abbott’s triumph showed his tenacity.
In a quickly changing Texas—a bustling powerhouse of 29 million people that is increasingly younger, less white, and a magnet for large companies—Abbott remained a GOP bastion against a high-profile and hard-charging rival. Abbott exploited fears about crime and inflation against a charismatic competitor who fought for voters soured by mass killings, an abortion prohibition, and the catastrophic 2021 power system meltdown.
Two of Texas’ top political figures—one who has run for president and the other who may run—are now on different paths.
Abbott, 64, became the state’s second-longest-serving governor and a prospective 2024 presidential candidate. He has utilized executive authority like few of his predecessors in Texas, overseeing a $4 billion border operation to halt immigration while crushing right-wing rivals and lavishly spending to suppress legislative critics.
After a campaign that actively courted South Texas Hispanic voters and pounced on economic worries and recession fears, he will remain buffeted by a substantial GOP majority in the Legislature. According to AP VoteCast, about 3,400 Texas voters regard the economy as the nation’s top problem.
Nearly 6 in 10 voters support Abbott’s plan to relocate asylum-seekers to northern Democratic states.
The former congressman, who rose to Democratic superstardom after almost winning a U.S. Senate contest in 2018, lost his third election in four years, darkening his once-bright future.
Why AP called Texas for Greg Abbott Gov. Greg Abbott had a large edge in the same 13 Texas counties he won in 2018 and that Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke won in a Senate campaign.
The Associated Press predicted Abbott will win the Texas governorship on Tuesday.
O’Rourke, a 2020 presidential candidate from El Paso, wanted to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in America’s most populous red state in over 30 years.
After the Uvalde elementary school shooting, gun control debates shaped this year’s gubernatorial race.
Polling Texas Governor: Abbott never trailed in the midterm race, which raised over $100 million
Photo by: GO NAKAMURA
During a rigorous yearlong campaign across Texas, O’Rourke did not indicate whether this would be his final attempt for governor. However, his 2019 Democratic presidential primary flame-out exposed his liberal ideas, which turned off Texans he needed to win back home.
Abbott used President Joe Biden‘s poor popularity ratings by releasing advertisements that merged O’Rourke and Biden’s features and depicted their ideas as identical. O’Rourke used the Uvalde massacre and Abbott’s abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest to energize Democratic voters.
8 in 10 Texas voters believe the U.S. Supreme Court verdict overturning Roe v. Wade, which affirmed a constitutional right to abortion, influenced their vote. Only 10% of Americans feel abortion is the biggest concern.
2022 midterm election results and maps: Texas Governor Polls 2022
Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat governor since 1990, making O’Rourke‘s candidacy a longshot. He was able to excite funders and bring large audiences that revived his breakthrough Senate campaign. He collected more than $75 million, a record for a Texas Democratic gubernatorial contender, and spent most of the year outraising Abbott, one of the nation’s top GOP fundraisers.
O’Rourke said the summer stakes were raised when a shooter stormed Robb Elementary School in May and murdered 19 students and two teachers. The killing, one of the worst classroom assaults in U.S. history, continues a tragic pattern of mass shootings in Texas, where Abbott and Republicans have eased weapons laws and abolished concealed handgun background checks.
O’Rourke told Abbott, “This is on you,” at a news conference in Uvalde a day after the incident. Republicans called the incident a distasteful political gimmick, while O’Rourke supporters regarded it as an honest expression of their fury.
Some Uvalde victims’ parents supported O’Rourke and criticized Abbott in campaign events and commercials. Abbott attempted to centre the election on record numbers of migrants coming into Texas and provocative actions like busing hundreds of them to Democrat-led communities across the U.S.
Abbott will be the second-longest-serving governor behind Rick Perry, who served 14.
Texas has grown faster than any other state since 2010, adding over 4 million residents. Hispanics have driven half of that increase, quickening demographic dynamics Democrats have long anticipated would tilt Texas their way.
Abbott, who married Texas’ first Hispanic first lady Cecilia, sees no such political consequence.
Danette Galvis, 48, voted for Abbott in Dallas because she appreciates his work. Abbott transferring refugees to other states was “more of a message he was trying to convey, not so much destroying anything or anyone,” she said.
“Because we’re on the border, we’re sort of under attack,” Galvis added.
