The last time Texas elected a Democrat as governor was in 1990, when Ann Richards squeaked out a win over Republican Clayton Williams. Honestly, had Williams not stuffed both feet in his mouth with a completely inappropriate “joke,” he would have won. This writer had just started college. It’s been three and a half decades since a Democrat occupied the governor’s office. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat and Texas state representative since 2017, hopes to change that.
Current Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican, is looking for his fourth term as governor. Should he win, he will become the longest-serving governor in Texas history. If you want to put any stock in the various polls out there, Abbott wins by as much as 10 points at one end or as little as three points at the other end. Can Abbott win a fourth term? This writer thinks he can. He is a popular governor and has succeeded in defending the Texas border and has brought a focus on the illegal alien problem by shipping many of the ones in Texas up to New York City and Chicago in April 2022. Arizona and Florida copied Texas’ solution shortly after.
Gov. Abbott was born and raised in Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University. After finishing law school, he returned to Texas and never left. He worked in private practice and for a law firm before being elected as a state trial judge in Houston in the 129th District Court for three years.
In 1995, then-Gov. George W. Bush appointed him to the Texas Supreme Court. He ran and won a two-year term in 1996 with 84% of the vote. In 1998, he ran for a six-year term and won with 60% of the vote. In 2001, he resigned to run for lieutenant governor but switched to attorney general when John Cornyn, then attorney general, vacated the post to run for the U.S. Senate. He won the attorney general’s race in 2002, 2006, and 2010 with large margins. In 2014, he launched his first campaign for governor against Democrat Wendy Davis. He defeated her 59.3% to 38.9%. In 2018, he beat Lupe Valdez by 55.8% to 42.5%, and in 2022 he beat perennial candidate Beto O’Rourke 54.8% to 43.9%.
Abbott is the first governor of Texas and the third governor of a U.S. state to use a wheelchair, due to a tree falling on him in 1984, when he was 26, while jogging after a storm. Abbott successfully sued the homeowner and a tree removal company. He received an insurance settlement that paid for his medical expenses. He is married to Cecilia Phalen, who is the first Latina to be First Lady of Texas. They have an adopted daughter, Audrey.
As the governor of a state whose legislature meets once every two years, Abbott has to manage a state budget for two years, not one. He oversees multiple state agencies and, while the state legislature is in session, approves or vetoes legislation. He can call special legislative sessions and grant pardons. He is 100% conservative, which can be seen in his decision to outlaw abortion in Texas. In 2023, he signed into law a bill that prohibited Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices at Texas public colleges and universities. The implementation of the bill caused his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, to lay off 60 employees and close the Division of Campus and Community Engagement.
Some of his most important actions came during the COVID-19 pandemic. He issued one of the shortest stay-at-home orders in the entire country, less than a month, from April 2 to May 1. As he started to reopen the state, COVID-19 cases started to surge, so he paused the reopening. He stated that Texans should wear face masks but did not make mask-wearing a mandate.
This author is glad he was governor because without him, she wouldn’t have been allowed to go back to work. The county she lived and worked in was more than happy to keep everything shut down. Why did they care? The county continued to get paid. This writer did not. Governor Abbott issued an executive order requiring schools and universities and businesses to reopen in August 2020. This writer remembers seeing a copy of Abbott’s executive order displayed on the door of the college where she was teaching part-time.
Abbott lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on March 2, 2021. Abbott contracted COVID-19 himself in August 2021 but recovered quickly with Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies. Does any of this mean that Gov. Abbott did everything right? No, of course not.
There were plenty of critics on both sides of the aisle, and sometimes he had to backtrack on his executive orders if the pandemic worsened. Through it all, he emphasized personal responsibility and resolutely opposed government mandates. In a state the size of Texas, it’s hard to resist using mandates. There are so many people to consider. He did use mandates, but sparingly.
In July 2021, he issued another executive order prohibiting public schools, universities, governmental agencies, and businesses working with the state from requiring face masks or proof of vaccination against COVID-19. That order was the one that created the biggest stink. Schools howled about not being able to require their employees to wear masks. In October, he followed that order with another one that banned private businesses from requiring their employees to be vaccinated.
Some of his most recent acts have been to sign Texas Senate Bill 10 requiring all schools in Texas to display the 10 Commandments in a clearly visible place. This has not gone over well with multiple civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union. This writer wonders if the ACLU would be suing to stop the law if schools were to post the Five Pillars of Islam or sections of the Torah. Somehow, she doesn’t think so.
This writer will be happy to vote for Gov. Abbott this November. His opponent, Gina Hinojosa, is a Democrat state representative representing central Austin, the state capital building, and part of Austin’s 6th Street bar and entertainment district. In other words, she represents the wealthy and extremely liberal. She is against school choice because she believes it takes badly needed money from the public schools. Her children attend public schools, which surprised this writer. She sat on the Austin I.S.D. school board from 2012-2016. So, one would think she has a better idea than most of how money is wasted on a school board, but her time on the board finished ten years ago. A lot has changed in public schools since 2016.
She has a point about school choice taking money from the public schools, but not in the way she thinks. Yes, the money is being taken from the public schools, money that, in this writer’s opinion, would be wasted on some administrator’s expense account. She appears to believe that the school districts should receive more money, not less. That would be fine if most of the money school districts receive went to the students. It doesn’t. Until it does, school choice needs to stay.
This writer cannot trust a Democrat who lives in and represents one of the wealthiest parts of the state as governor. Why? Lately, all the truly wealthy Democrats who are in charge of a city (hello, Mayor Mamdani) or a state (looking at you, Gov. Newsom) have a very comfortable life while the people suffer through the laws that are passed. Those laws never seem to touch the ones who pass them.
Bottom line: This writer does not need to hear about what a terrible governor Greg Abbott is, but she’s certain she will. You vote for who you think will do the best job. This writer will as well, and that vote will go to Gov. Greg Abbott.
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it's spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there's nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.
Help us continue to shine a light on the socialist takeover by joining PJ Media VIP. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member