AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was reelected Tuesday night, according to a race call by The Associated Press, in what was the most competitive race of his political career.
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Abbott, who will now serve a third term, beat former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, arguably the most well-known Democrat in Texas.
Abbott's victory is not a surprise — poll after poll showed the Republican leading O'Rourke by about one to eleven points. He also had the advantage of having more money than O'Rourke. The last Democrat to win a Texas gubernatorial race was Ann Richards in 1990.
Still, O'Rourke made a significant push in the election cycle, campaigning hard on gun control and reproductive health.
But Abbott focused most of his campaign on the state's economy. He blamed President Joe Biden for high inflation in the U.S.
Abbott, a former state attorney general, also made immigration the center of his campaign — touting his multiple anti-immigration initiatives at the border as a reason Texans should re-elect him.
This is the third major loss for O'Rourke in nearly six years — in 2018 he lost against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for a U.S. Senate seat. In 2019 he unsuccessfully ran for president.
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