Republicans Choose Among 8 Candidates For Governor

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Republicans and Democrats throughout the state today are choosing primary candidates for federal and state offices who will face candidates of the opposite party in the general election in November.

Eight candidates are running in the Republican primary election for governor of Texas.

Governor since 2015, Abbott previously served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.  Facing a challenge from his right flank in the Republican primary, Abbott is looking to silence his critics with a strong showing in the primary.

Polls show Abbott with a comfortable lead over his closest competitors, former Rep. Allen West and former state Sen. Don Huffines. (Although West and Huffines have produced what are thought to be unscientific "internal polls" showing them both doing substantially better than scientific polls done by media outlets and Universities.)

West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, served as Texas Republican Party chairman before stepping down from the post and entering the race. Previously, he served as a congressman in South Florida from 2011 to 2013. West has attacked Abbott for the governor's 2020 mask mandate and closure of churches across Texas during the pandemic, as well as his failure to close the border with Mexico.

Huffines has been relentless in his attacks on Abbott for failing to act fast enough to close the Southern border. Huffines has proposed eliminating property taxes and closing the border to trade, both economically questionable tactics, but proposals well designed to stir up populist voters in the primary. Still, his campaign has struggled to gain traction.

Chad Prather is an American conservative political commentator, comedian and internet personality known for a series of YouTube videos in which he comments on life, right-leaning politics and current events. He is polling in single digits in the governor's race.

Also running in the primary are Paul Belew, Daniel Harrison, Kandy Kaye Horn, and Rick Perry (not the former governor.)

(Full story HERE.)
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Abbott Leads O'Rourke By 6 Points, GOP Rivals In Single Digits, In New Poll

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D) by 6 points in the Lone Star State's gubernatorial race, according to a poll taken days after O'Rourke officially launched his bid for office in his home state.

The poll, conducted by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler, found that in a head-to-head match-up between the two candidates, 45% of registered voters said they support Abbott, while 39% said they are backing O'Rourke. 

Sixteen percent of respondents said they would vote for a different candidate for governor.

Like previous surveys, this poll shows Gov. Abbott far ahead of his Republican rivals in the GOP Primary race.

He was favored by 65% of those surveyed, with 6% supporting Lt. Colonel Allen West, 6% supporting comedian Chad Prather, and 3% supporting former State Sen. Don Huffines.

The poll, conducted Nov. 9-16, surveyed 1,106 registered voters in Texas. The margin of error is 2.9 percentage points.

(Full story here.)
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Abbott Has Commanding Lead Over Foes In New Poll

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Forty-two percent of registered voters surveyed in October by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy support former US Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke for governor in next year's election, just behind Gov. Abbott at 43%, who is seeking re-election.

Twelve percent said they are undecided, 12 months ahead of the 2022 general election. O'Rourke has not yet announced he will run for governor. 

Abbott, with 61 percent support among likely primary voters, held a more comfortable lead over Republican opponents Allen West, Don Huffines and Chad Prather, the poll found.

West, a former Florida congressman and former chair of the Texas Republican Party, was backed by 14 percent of likely GOP primary voters, while Huffines, a former state senator, and Prather, a conservative commentator, were supported by 4 and 3 percent, respectively.

(Full story here.)
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Gov. Abbott's GOP Challengers Remain Longshots

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has $55 million banked for his re-election campaign, a 73% approval rating among Republicans, and an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

And, thanks to restrictive abortion and election reform bills Abbott has signed in recent months, Texas has become an epicenter of the national conservative causes that rally the GOP base.

None of that, though, has stopped a crop of critics — including Allen West, a former Florida congressman with a right-wing following who briefly served as the Texas GOP chairman — from announcing plans to challenge Abbott in next year’s primary.

(Full story here.)
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** We are dedicated to bringing you Texas Politics, 365 days a year! Tips? texaspolitics365@gmail.com

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