Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) this week faced pushback from multiple Democratic sheriffs after saying they endorsed his gubernatorial reelection campaign in Texas.
The saga started Monday, when Abbott announced that 12 Democratic sheriffs across the state were backing his campaign against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Abbott is widely expected to secure a fourth term come Nov. 3, but it is considered his most competitive race to date, with most polls painting a close race.
After Abbott rolled out the endorsements at the start of the week, three sheriffs said they had not endorsed the Republican governor. Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, and Zapata County Sheriff Ramon Montes said they were not getting involved in the race.
As of Wednesday evening, Martin Cuellar’s endorsement has been removed from the governor’s press release on the matter, but Martinez’s and Montes’s remain up.
Martin Cuellar is brother to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who is in a competitive bid for reelection against Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a Republican. In a message to Facebook, Martin Cuellar asked Abbott to remove his name from the endorsement list, citing Abbott’s support for Tijerina.
Montes told the Rio Grande Current that he was not endorsing anyone, though he expressed support for Abbott’s rival, Hinojosa.
Martinez said that while he backed aspects of Abbott’s initiatives, he was not making a political endorsement.
“Recognizing and appreciating state support is entirely distinct from a political endorsement,” he said. “I did not authorize anyone to use my name as an endorsement.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Abbott’s campaign for comment.
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While Abbott is widely expected to hold his seat in the Texas governor’s race, a handful of other Republican gubernatorial seats nationwide are considered vulnerable to Democrat takeover.
The governor’s mansions in Georgia, Ohio, and Nevada could flip blue come November, triggering outreach from top Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who is holding midterm rallies in many of those states to boost voter turnout.