US midterms: The Texas governor’s race
The race for Texas governor is a battle over two visions of America, a classic showdown of left and right – and there are some really big issues that stake.
Democrat Beto O’Rourke will be leading with gun control and abortion rights whilst Republican Greg Abbott will raise concerns over crime and immigration.
The candidates
Democrat Beto O’Rourke
Top of the agenda for Beto will be classic liberal concerns: gun control, abortion rights, racial justice for minorities and fighting climate change.
Beto has long been considered a rising star within the democrat party – and had a run for Senate in 2018.
But for him to be crowned the new governor of Texas, he’ll need to beat out sitting Republican Grey Abbot.
Republican Greg Abbott
The complete opposite of his rival Beto O’Rourke, Greg Abbott will be seeking his third four-year term.
He may not have the celebrity seal of approval but he is most certainly a political powerhouse.
He won re-election four years ago by more than 13% of votes and is Texas’s best political fundraiser.
His political concerns include immigration numbers and violent crime rates. He blames the President’s policies for the current American economy.
Texas is not a battleground key state for control of Congress this year but the race of left and right-wing policy makes it interesting.
And with abortion rights under threat in America, it’s a vital race.
Who will win?
It’s likely Greg Abbott will be re-elected. Texas is a conservative state and has been for decades – the last Democrat to be elected to a state-wide political office was in 1994.
But some say it’ll be a much tighter race, as Texas liberals are angry and will want things to change sooner rather than later.
The recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned abortion rights could be a big factor in more women turning out to vote.
Whilst there was a rise in support for Beto O’Rourke’s campaign following the Supreme Court abortion decision, his campaign has now fallen behind. Polls show him around 8% behind.
Why is Texas so important?
Texas finds itself in the middle of the political storm often. Some of the first challenges to abortion protection came in the state, it also has some of the country’s strictest voting rules.
The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas which left 21 kids and teachers dead meant gun control laws were thrust back into the spotlight in the state.
The Texas-Mexico border also sees a lot of undocumented migrants entering the US – meaning immigration is a hot topic in the state.
