Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) is facing his most competitive reelection battle yet, with a tough political environment for Republicans as his Democratic challenger, Gina Hinojosa, creeps up in the polls.
Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term, faces possible headwinds as President Donald Trump grapples with low approval ratings amid rising gas prices and the war in Iran. The president’s party has historically faced challenges in midterm elections.
“I’ll tell you in football terms: It’s like playing an away game, as opposed to a home game,” Abbott told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “It doesn’t mean you can’t win. You just got to play harder, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
The governor then pointed to the contrast between him and Hinojosa, saying it has “never been larger” in any race he has ever run, claiming she is more progressive than Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico.
Abbott commenced his tour of the Lone Star State with early voting beginning Monday in Texas as hundreds of supporters rallied in support at Clay’s, a Southern restaurant north of Houston.
“All of us, we got to fight together, and we will win this election,” Abbott said at the rally. “We will destroy the Democrats, and we will keep Texas, Texas.”
Abbott said he is running for another term because there is “so much more to do,” as he pledged to bring down costs for Texans by bringing down appraisal rates, as well as eliminate school district property taxes.
Abbott, who debated his Democratic opponents in his previous three gubernatorial campaigns, has chosen not to debate Hinojosa, something she has campaigned on. He defended his decision to forgo a debate, arguing that meeting directly with Texans is a better use of his time.
In the most recent poll, released just before early voting began, the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs showed Abbott leading Hinojosa 49% to 46%. An earlier Hobby School poll from January had Abbott at 49% as well but Hinojosa at just 42%, meaning while the governor’s support remained consistent, Hinojosa’s support had grown. According to a Reuters-Ipsos poll released Monday, Democrats lead Republicans 47% to 35% on the congressional generic ballot.
Hinojosa, a state representative, has sought to capitalize on opposition to data center development in Texas, criticizing Abbott over his relationship with technology companies building facilities across the state. She has challenged the governor over his temporary moratorium on certain data center projects and called for stronger, lasting restrictions.
GREG ABBOTT’S DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER VOWS MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS
“My intention is to take that moratorium and the restrictions and guidelines and guardrails that I put on data centers, and turn that into law,” Abbott pushed back.
Data centers have become a top issue for voters in Texas, and across the country, as many local communities in the Lone Star State have pushed back on their construction. A poll from the Texas Politics Project showed 58% of Texas voters were against data centers being built in their community.