Abbott Wins 2nd Term As Texas Governor

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott bested his Democratic challenger, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, handily on Election Day Nov. 6 — 56 percent to 43.3 percent — to secure his second term as governor.

The strong showing early on during the preliminary counts prompted the Republican Governors Association (RGA) to congratulate the incumbent governor on what was seen all along as a likely win.

“Governor Greg Abbott’s dynamic leadership has the Texas economy booming, and with four more years, the Lone Star State will continue to serve as a model of successful governance,” said RGA Chairman Governor Bill Haslam said in a prepared statement. “Governor Abbott’s victory was a clear reaffirmation from voters to continue the conservative, pro-growth policies that have delivered record-low unemployment, as well as significant progress on education and public safety. With Governor Abbott in charge for another four years, Texas will continue on the right track. The RGA is proud to congratulate Governor Abbott on his re-election.”

While the contest was never close, both candidates are trailblazers. Abbott, 60, is the only governor in the country confined to a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the waist down when a tree fell on him as a young law student. For her part, Valdez is the first lesbian to ever be nominated as a gubernatorial nominee.

Patch will continue to update this story as more returns come in.

Graphic via Republican Governors Association

From earlier:

AUSTIN, TEXAS — At best, it's being called anti-climactic. At worst, a snoozer. In the race for governor, incumbent Greg Abbott is expected to handily win the race against his challenger, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

Abbott has proved popular in red Texas, his anti-immigration policies, strong pro-life plank and championing of gun rights resonating with a large part of the electorate. Though long married to a granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Abbott has distinguished himself with calls to end so-called "sanctuary cities" receptive to immigration and and aggressively championed "open carry" and "campus carry," now allowing gun owners to walk around freely with their weapons in tow.

One need only to visit his Twitter account to see his stance on abortion in particular and worldview in general, his messaging dotted with biblical verses he's not shy to trot out in more secular environments while campaigning or rallying his base at partisan gatherings.

Such populist messaging amid a largely conservative state landscape has proved effective for Abbott, who ably vanquished a Democratic challenger, former state Sen. Wendy Davis, in his first re-election race despite the challenger's initially strong showing among members of the electorate. Davis electrified progressive voters in a way not seen recently, largely by her tireless, 13-hour filibuster to block Senate Bill 5 — Abbott-supported legislation that would make abortions more restrictive in Texas. Davis became the first female nominee for Texas governor since Gov. Ann Richards was defeated in 1994 by George W Bush. She ultimately lost to Abbott in 2014 after he quit his attorney general's post to run for governor.

In contrast to Abbott, Valdez couldn't be more different. Hispanic, 71 years old and a lesbian, she served as the sheriff of Dallas County from 2005 to 2017. Yet like Abbott, she fancies herself a law-and-order candidate, having cracked down on corruption allegation that once wracked the Dallas County Sheriff's Office and corrected a stream of failed state and federal inspections at the county jail.

But despite her professional bona fides and pioneering trailblazing, Valdez is widely expected to lose the race. Many see her too progressive for Texas, while others view her as not polished enough — not ready for "prime time" — given a folksy delivery when speaking of even the more complex of issues.

Valdez also had trouble raising money to finance her campaign, while Abbott's coffers are swollen in the millions of dollars.

Another blow to her candidacy came when news emerged she had been late on paying more than $12,000 in tax payments on property she owns in Dallas and Ellis counties. She made late but final payments 2017 payments on the properties that had been due Jan. 31. While many people are forced to make late payments at times for myriad reasons, it didn't bode well for many of a person who would essentially have stewardship over the robust state economy.

The upshot: Ahead of Election Day, Abbott held a comfortable lead over Valdez. An Oct. 29 Quinnipiac poll had him with a 14-point lead over Valdez that could actually be much greater by the time it's all said and done. In his first defense to keep his governor's position, he beat Davis by more than 20 percentage points, 59.3 percent to 38.9 percent. This year, the narrow of victory could prove even greater.

Polls close at 7 p.m.

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