OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:04 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has won reelection.
The tight race for Texas Governor has come to an end.
Abbott was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and graduated rom the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in finance. He was paralyzed in 1984 after a large oak tree fell on him while out running. Before assuming his role as Governor in 2015, Abbott worked as a district judge in Harris County. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by then-Governor George W. Bush where he served from 1995 to 2001, and went on to become the Texas Attorney General from 2002 to 2015.
Born and raised in El Paso, O’Rourke has served as a small business owner, city council representative and member of Congress. He served on the El Paso City Council from 2005 to 2011 and as a Democrat in House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O’Rourke also announced his candidacy for president in 2019 before ending the campaign eight months later.
Polling has showed that Abbott held a lead throughout the race. Since July 2021 the two campaigns have spent more than $200 million combined, becoming the most expensive race in Lone Star State history.
Abbott raked in 65% of the funds, raising $143 million in his bid for a third term. O’Rourke raised about $77 million in his hopeful bid to become Texas’ first Democrat governor since 1994.
The Republican incumbent’s campaign focused on expanding opportunity in the Lone Star State and securing the border. Abbott affirmed he wants to ensure Texas remains the best place to create greater opportunity for all.
“I am running for re-election to keep Texas the number one state for producing oil and gas,” Abbott said while on the campaign trail in Fort Worth.
Funding public schools, supporting small businesses, affordable health care and gun safety were some of the many issues taking the center stage of O’Rourke’s campaign. The Democrat vowed to repeal permitless carry.
“As governor, my number one job will be to keep the people of Texas safe,” O’Rourke said on his campaign website.
The Democrat said he wants to start funding programs that prevent crime before it happens and believes criminalizing poverty and mental illness is inhumane and jeopardizes public safety.