In the first real primary challenge of his roughly 30-year political career, Governor Greg Abbott rushed to the right on nearly every political matter possible in order to outflank a stable of conservative primary challengers.
That strategy proved effective as Abbott crushed his opponents in the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, hauling in nearly 70 percent of the vote. His closest contenders, the former state Senator Don Huffines and former Texas GOP party chair Allen West, each got a paltry 12 percent of the vote.
Just 36 minutes after the polls closed, Huffines tweeted that he was conceding actual victory to Abbott while claiming victory for himself in the war of ideas. “For over a year our campaign has driven the narrative in Texas and forced Greg Abbott to deliver real conservative victories,” Huffines said, pointing to recent laws and policies enacted that include a near-total ban on abortion, a massive border security operation, the permitless carry of handguns, “bans” on teaching about race in public classrooms, and an attack on transgender children’s ability to access gender-affirming healthcare.
