You thought the election season was over? It is just beginning with a possible governor race between incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who says he is considering a challenge.
by Ross Ramsey
Jan 29, 20217 hours ago
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Beto O’Rourke is considering challenging Governor Greg Abbott in the 2022 election. Abbott is already reacting like the candidates.
You are right to believe this is happening early on. The last major elections took place less than three months ago. If you include the protests of the results, and this should, it wasn’t officially over until January 6th.
O’Rourke, the most famous Democrat in the state, launched this trial balloon when asked by the KLAQ radio station in El Paso, whether he would run for governor.
« It’s something I’m going to think about, » he said. He expanded on that in a series of tweets Thursday night.
Abbott had his opening shot ready, recalling the Democrat’s support for an assault weapons buyback program during the 2020 presidential contest.
« You speak of a person who says , she wants to run for the governor who said: « Damn it », he will come and take your weapons, « Abbott said at a press conference in Odessa on Thursday. « Shit yeah, he’s for open borders. Yeah, he’s for killing the energy sector and fossil fuels in the state of Texas. I don’t think that’s going to sell really well. »
Here’s the setup : Abbott has served in the statewide office for more than 25 years, serving as attorney general and then governor on the Texas Supreme Court. He’s a great fundraiser and outperformed fellow Republicans in voting with him when he was last re-elected in 2018. O’Rourke was a member of El Paso City Council and a member of Congress, which gained political fame with its challenge to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in 2018. Collect millions of dollars and get within 3 percentage points of winning this election. He ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic President nomination.
None of the state’s US Senate seats will be elected in 2022. The governor’s race will be the marquee competition. Abbott said he wanted a third term.
And the Texas primaries are early. What looks like a contest that is far in the future is just over a year away.
Entrants from Texas must register their candidacy by December 13th this year. Early voting in the March 1 primaries begins next year’s Valentine’s Day – in just a year and two weeks.
Abbott faced little opposition in his last primary and left that race with more than 90% of the vote. He could have more competition next time around, with Republicans like Don Huffines of Dallas, a former senator, and Allen West, the leader of the Texas Republican Party, who is most frequently cited as potential challengers. In the short term, O’Rourke gives the governor the opportunity to scold a Democrat and to bypass the loud and so far underage wannabees in his own party. And it’s a welcome change of subject for a governor whose reactions to the pandemic have drawn sustained criticism across the political spectrum.
The Democratic race is open, but this party has not won a nationwide race since Abbott first appeared in 1995 a nationwide office and it has not produced a truly competitive candidate for governor in years. Abbott won his first race for governor by more than 20 percentage points and his second by more than 13 percentage points.
From that distance, Republicans seem to have some advantages in 2022. This will be a medium term presidential election, and these often go against the party in power. Donald Trump’s party had a tough time in 2018, as did Barack Obama’s Democrats in 2010. It’s Joe Biden’s turn to test the water.
It will also be the first election to be held under political cards that are tailored to the 2020 census figures. Texas lawmakers will be drawing these cards this year once those census results are in, and Republican majorities in the House and Senate are expected to join forces with the Republican governor to draw cards for GOP candidates.
But at O’Rourke’s only nationwide race in Texas – he dropped out of the presidential race before the Texas primaries last year – he was an impressive, if lost, candidate. There’s a reason he’s a brand for the Democrats. He came out of nowhere and almost took Cruz off the seat. Other Democrats who dream of being the next governor have some more thought to do now.Voters are still getting over the 2020 elections. The politicians have already moved on to 2022.
Updated: January 29, 2021
January 29, 2021
January 27, 2021
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