Beto O’Rourke Expected to Run Against Greg Abbott for Governor

By Nikki Slusher

The Houston Chronicle has reported Sunday afternoon that former Democratic congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is planning to announce later this week that he will be running against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott in 2022.

The reports from multiple Texas political operatives familiar with the matter confirmed the rumors which have been circulating speculation for months now on if O’Rourke would be challenging Abbott or Sen. Ted Cruz for his senate seat in 2024. O’Rourke became one of the nation’s most high-profile Democrats during his 2018 run against Cruz in what was the closest U.S. Senate race in Texas since 1978 — with Cruz pulling a very small victory at 50.9% to O’Rourke’s 48.3%.

Mr. O’Rourke is also an easy fundraiser on both the state and national levels. The former three-term U.S. Representative from El Paso is seen as making the gubernatorial race as his political comeback. The Dallas Morning News reported in July that O’Rourke trailed Abbott with a 12-point deficit of 33% to 45%; however, updated polls for last month show O’Rourke has started to close the gap with only a five point gap of 37% to 42%. For those unfamiliar, any political race that shows candidates polling within a seven point margin means both sides are going to have to work hard to secure a win.

As for Abbott, the governor has managed to gain national coverage constantly since the start of the pandemic over his poor leadership and policies in response to the virus, spread of election falsehoods and problematic election security bills. Most recently Abbott signed into law Texas’ strict anti-abortion law which has taken heat from leaders across the country. The “heartbeat bill” bans any abortions in the state after six weeks and enables civil lawsuits with citizens turning into bounty hunters against women, healthcare professionals, and anyone else they believe may have helped in an abortion procedure. Oh, he also vetoed a bill that was against animal abuse earlier in the year.

This upcoming election comes as Texas enters an era of a shifting political climate. The hot-button issues dividing the country seem to be most divisive in the Lone Star State, specifically abortion and border security. It has also seen an influx in transients moving from states like California and New York which gave the state another seat in the U.S. House after the 2020 U.S. Census.

While Californians and New Yorkers who’ve relocated here have done so due to no state income tax and it’s affordability compared to their previous states, on social issues they tend to lean towards the left. The 2020 presidential election showed how the gap has shrunk in the state’s election results. President Donald Trump won Texas’ electoral votes ultimately with 5.8 million votes, but President Joe Biden faired much better than Hillary Clinton did in 2016 with the Democrat winning 5.2 million votes.

Democrats in the most recent elections have also shown a 10 percent increase in voters who are white, college-educated, suburban voters — a group that previously had given the GOP an easy stronghold in these areas. Most notably, polls have shown not only are Texas progressives extremely against the state’s hardcore anti-abortion bill but so are suburban women. This all potentially leaves Abbott vulnerable to O’Rourke securing support from these groups which could result in Abbott’s eviction from the governor’s mansion next November.

If true, the O’Rourke vs. Abbott race will be one of the most prolific in 2022. It will also give Americans an understanding of how the usually red Deep South is more purple than originally thought. Rumors are also still circulating of whether lifelong Texan and actor Matthew McConaughey would also throw his hat in the race. Polls show McConaughey leading Abbott by nine points, the highest out of any of the governor’s potential challengers. The ‘Dazed and Confused’ star has still not confirmed if he will be running.

This story is breaking and will be updated when more information is available.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]