Abbott, O’Rourke set to face-off this November in Texas Governor’s race

The Associated Press has declared that incumbent Governor Greg Abbott is the winner of the Republican nomination for governor in the Texas primaries. There were eight Republican candidates on the primary ballot, besides Abbott, including Don Huffines and Allen West.

During Abbott’s last term, he has advocated for a stronger southern border, opposed mask and vaccine mandates and instead emphasized voluntary vaccinations. He also signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, prohibiting abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which has been a source of controversy.

 

The AP is declaring Beto O’Rourke the winner of the Democratic primary for governor. The former El Paso congressman announced his bid for governor in November and was the only major Democrat, out of five candidates, vying for the nomination with political experience to challenge Governor Abbott. He previously came within two percentage points of the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in 2018.

He advocates for rolling back the state’s new permitless carry law and expanding health care access. This will be the third time in five years that O’Rourke will be a major candidate. The former lawmaker lost both of his previous two races.

Texas has not had a Democratic governor since Anne Richards, who served the state from 1991-1995.