Texas 2022 Election Just Got Shaken Up – In The Race For Governor, Democrat Beto O’Rourke Is Now 5 Points Behind Abbott

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a popular leader among right-wing voters in the Lone Star State. And many Republicans support his stances on the border crisis, the pandemic, and the economy.

However, he faces tough competition in the upcoming gubernatorial race. Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who nearly unseated Senator Ted Cruz a few years back, is Abbott’s opponent.

Initially, Abbott’s office vowed not to take the contest lightly, as they believe it will be a tough battle.

However, given recent polling, his team might not have to worry too much.

When O’Rourke first announced his bid for the governor’s office, many of his former followers quickly voiced their support. And he has proven to be a capable fundraiser for his campaigns as well.

But the hypothetical polls haven’t painted a pretty picture for the left-wing hopeful.

Many view Texas as being more “purple” than full-blown red, as there are plenty of Democrat leaders in the state. That’s why liberals are hopeful that O’Rourke has a good chance against Abbott.

It just isn’t turning out the way they’d hoped — at least, not based on the surveys.

From Breitbart:

In the most recent hypothetical gubernatorial poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) holds a five-point lead over Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

In the hypothetical poll, with four candidates expected to be on the general election ballot in November, Abbott holds a five-point lead over O’Rourke, who has two failed campaign attempts — losing against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018 and a failed presidential bid in 2020.

Gov. Abbott’s team has already said O’Rourke will likely become a “three-time loser” in 2022, and that statement has become a big part of their campaign.

It really is a two-man race, too, because the Libertarian candidate (Mark Jay Tippetts) only received 2 percent of the vote, and the Green candidate, Delilah Barrios, got only about 1 percent.

In more good news for the incumbent, Abbott apparently has plenty of support from Independent voters.

According to the poll, 45 percent of Independents said they’d vote for him, and only 17 percent said they’d go for O’Rourke. This is in line with presidential polling, where Biden really flounders among Independent voters.

The survey is also indicative of a general Republican swing in the country, as the GOP hopes to reclaim the House and Senate in 2022.

And it looks like Texas will still have a Republican Governor moving forward. Abbott’s bullish stance on border security and pushback against Biden’s vaccine mandates have increased his popularity among right-wing voters.

We’ll have to wait and see if Abbott can hold his lead throughout the election period, though.

Key Takeaways:

• In the latest polling update, Democrat Beto O’Rourke trails incumbent Governor Greg Abbott by 5 points.
• Abbott also holds a huge lead among Independent voters: 45 to 17 percent.
• The current Governor has called out President Joe Biden’s border crisis and his handling of the pandemic.

Source: Breitbart

Ben S. Dutka is a journalist, writer and editor with over two decades of experience. He has worked with three newspapers and eight online publications, and he has also won a Connecticut short story contest entitled Art as Muse, Imaginary Realms. He has a penchant for writing, rowing, reading, video games, and Objectivism.