Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) handily defeated his Democrat opponent Beto O’Rourke in Tuesday’s election to win his third term as chief executive of the Lone Star State.
Abbott ran on border security concerns, crime and the strength of the Texas economy. Many observers noted that the governor may have ambitions to national office, as he ran as much against the Biden administration and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as he did against O’Rourke.
By Wednesday morning and with more than 99% of the votes counted, Abbott totaled 53.6% of the vote to O’Rourke’s 45.0%.
In his speech to supporters after being declared the winner, Abbott promised to continue working hard for all Texans.
He told the crowd at his Rio Grande Valley election party that he “ran for the farmers and ranchers down here on the border who pleaded for a more secure border in the state of Texas.
He added that he ran for all the Texans who came to him and said, “Governor, just keep Texas Texas.”
We started this campaign in South Texas.
We celebrated our primary victory in South Texas.
Tonight, we return to South Texas to celebrate re-election for four more years of prosperity.
God Bless Texas! pic.twitter.com/ylXHv6etRT
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 9, 2022
In a Twitter post, Abbott talked about his decision to hold his event in the state’s border region. He said he started his campaign in South Texas, returned to celebrate his primary victory, and came back again on Tuesday to “celebrate re-election for four more years of prosperity.”
He added: “God Bless Texas!”
Abbott was treated harshly by the corporate media in Texas and around the country throughout the year for sending thousands of illegal migrants released by the federal government into his state northward.
He sent illegal border crossers to sanctuary cities including New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, much to the dismay of liberals who favor open borders so long as they are not immediately impacted.
Abbott was also hammered by the media for his support of the Texas Heartbeat Act that protects unborn children from abortion and was in the spotlight nationally as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
O’Rourke failed to become the first Democrat to win a Texas gubernatorial race in over three decades. He lost the 2018 Senate election in Texas to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and failed in a presidential run in the 2020 Democratic primaries.
The O’Rourke campaign focused on gun violence, teachers’ union-driven public education, and abortion access. He also blamed Gov. Abbott for the electricity grid failures during last winter’s severe storm.
