Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott filed to run for re-election on Tuesday in preparation for the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state...
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott filed to run for re-election on Tuesday in preparation for the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state.
'We must continue to secure our border, support our police, & keep Texas a job creation machine,' he tweeted along with a video announcing his re-election campaign. 'With your help, Texas will remain the best state in America.'
Abbott is seen in the video in front of his wife, Cecilia, and daughter, Audrey, with a stack of papers that he says contains the signatures of more than 20,000 Texans in favor of seeing him on the ballot again.
'I'm here today to officially sign the paperwork to run for re-election as governor of the great state of Texas,' he announced.
Incumbent Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott filed to run for re-election on Tuesday
Abbott, a Republican, is seeking a third term and has emerged as a national figure by taking strong stances on lightning rod issues such as abortion and border security
Actor Matthew McConaughey, who lives in Austin, has hinted at a gubernatorial bid in 2022
'Working together, we will keep Texas the best state in the United States of America.' Abbott declared.
Abbott assumed office in 2015 and is currently serving his second term as governor of the Friendship State.
Abbott has made national headlines for his strong stances on COVID-19 mandates, border security, restrictive voting laws, Critical Race Theory and abortion rights.
The Texas governor is already facing challengers but appears to be in a comfortable position to remain in his seat.
Texas Republican State Sen. Don Huffines, who has criticized the governor for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and failure to finish the wall at the southern border, has announced his bid for the gubernatorial race.
'He put 3 million Texans on unemployment and dependent on the government in one day. He closed our churches on the holiest week of the year, Easter,' Huffines said during an appearance at CPAC earlier this year.
His campaign focuses on building the wall at the southern border, securing elections, and eliminating property taxes.
But incumbent Abbott's two biggest challengers seem to be Democratic hopeful and former U.S. Texas Sen. Beto O'Rourke and actor Matthew McConaughey, who has hinted at a gubernatorial bid in his home state.
A new poll from the University of Texas and Dallas Morning News found that McConaughey is preferred in both one-on-one matchups, but that Abbott would win in a three-way race.
McConaughey, who lives in Austin, has teased a run for governor for months but has not said whether he would make one as a Republican or a Democrat. The 52-year-old Oscar-winning actor keeps his political views close to the vest, but his prior remarks suggest that he is moderate to conservative-leaning.
O'Rourke's announcement earlier this month that he will seek the governor's office kicks off a third run for office in as many election cycles.
He burst into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as a party phenomenon but dropped out just eight months later as money and fanfare dried up. In 2018, his bid for U.S. Senate was defeated by incumbent Republican Ted Cruz.
In the new poll, respondents asked about a hypothetical matchup between Abbott and McConaughey preferred the actor, 43 percent to 35 percent, with the rest saying they were unsure.
Asked about a race between McConaughey and O'Rourke, who recently announced his intention to run next year, McConaughey prevailed 49 percent to 27 percent.
However, in a three-way race with all of the candidates running, the plurality preferred Abbott, who garnered 37 percent support to McConaughey's 27 percent and O'Rourke's 27 percent.
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