Abbott’s Campaign
With 26 days until election day and early voting in person 12 days away, you have to wonder what is going on within MAGA Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign. This past summer, Abbott had an ad touting the state’s constitutional ban on a state income tax. Today, he is out with an ad saying State Rep. Gina Hinojosa supports a state income tax. His campaign is hurting for sure.
The featured photo is from a Rep. Hinojosa ad.
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From the Chron:
Democrat Letitia Plummer outraised Orlando Sanchez by more than $100,000 this summer in the lead up to the hotly contested race for Harris County judge.
I am reminded of this from the Chron last December:
Gov. Greg Abbott is prepared to pour $25 million into his effort to turn Harris County — a Democratic stronghold he lost by 10 percentage points in 2022 — “dark red” as he seeks a record fourth term in office, according to details of the plan shared with Hearst Newspapers.
As part of that, the Texas Republican is planning to target House Democrats there with messaging on crime, bail restrictions and property taxes, key planks of his reelection pitch. The governor recruited Republican candidates to run in every state House seat in the county, including some where the GOP has not had a candidate on the ballot in years. And he’s hired a consultant based in Houston, Jessica Colón, to help coordinate their efforts.
“Governor Abbott is going on the offensive in Harris County, a key battleground for the state,” said Eduardo Leal, press secretary for the governor’s campaign. “Governor Abbott’s mission is clear: to keep Texas affordable, safe and prosperous.”
It didn’t happen. I never thought it would happen. It was all typical MAGA Abbott BS. Hopefully, it is the same BS that Texas voters are tired of.
Dark red, my arse.
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This article today from the Trib is telling. See this:
When asked in July if Attorney General Ken Paxton intended to face off against his U.S. Senate opponent James Talarico, his spokesperson said, “of course we’re going to debate.”
But with two weeks left until early voting, the Republican nominee has yet to accept any invitations, meaning this could be the first Senate race in Texas without a debate in a quarter century.
Talarico, meanwhile, has accepted at least four debate invitations from CNN and local TV stations. Last month he challenged Paxton to a forum moderated by Brett Baier on Fox News, which the network later agreed to host.
Paxton’s campaign has not responded to repeated requests for comment about whether he ever intends to debate.
But Paxton’s in good company. Amid an unusually competitive political landscape in Texas this midterm election, almost every Republican nominee for a statewide seat appears to be dodging debate invitations from their Democratic counterparts. Notably, Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign has not publicly agreed to debate Gina Hinojosa, despite her repeated calls for him to meet her on stage. Abbott debated his Democratic opponents in each of his three previous gubernatorial races.
The sole debate — allegedly — scheduled across statewide races is in the contest for railroad commissioner, a post that regulates oil and gas. Democrat Jon Rosenthal announced in late September that he and Republican Bo French agreed to an Oct. 22debate. French has not publicly confirmed either way.
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin and state Sen. Nathan Johnson, the Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively, have also urged their GOP opponents to debate. Campaign spokespeople for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Sen. Mayes Middleton did not respond to requests for comment.
The drumbeat of Democrats’ demands to debate is not unusual, given that candidates challenging known incumbents tend to see televised debates as an opportunity to raise their name recognition among voters and to create standout moments that elevate their profiles or embarrass their opponents, said Rice University political science professor John Alford.
Here is the entire read: Texas Republicans are refusing to debate for the election.
MAGA’s Abbott, Patrick, and Paxton ae not interested in talking about their own records, and we all know why.
12 days until early voting in person.