Texas Gov. Abbott Leads O’Rourke in Midterm Matchup

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading Democrat gubernatorial candidate Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke (D) in their upcoming race, according to a UT/Texas Politics Project survey released this week.

The survey showed Abbott leading O’Rourke by five percentage points, or 45 percent to 40. No other candidate comes close, but eight percent admitted they “haven’t thought about it enough to have an opinion.”

While O’Rourke enjoys a 19-point advantage over Abbott with urban voters and 17-point advantage among moderates, Abbott boasts an 18-point lead among independent voters — 40 percent to O’Rourke’s 22 percent. And in general, independents tend to view the Republican governor more favorably than O’Rourke.

The survey also found that a majority of Texas voters, 52 percent, agree with the Abbott administration’s decision to bus migrants to blue cities across the country. As immigration issues top the list of concerns — 26 percent identify it as the “most important issue” to their vote in the 2022 election — this is significant, as O’Rourke has taken a different approach, devoting his campaign trail focus to gun control and abortion.

Recently, the radical, gun confiscating O’Rourke upped his divisive rhetoric, accusing Abbott of “killing the women among us right now.” He also raised eyebrows last month after refusing to express support for any limits on abortion — even partial-birth.