Five and half months after the worst school shooting in Texas history took place in their backyard, Uvalde County voters turned out resoundingly Tuesday night for GOP Governor Greg Abbott, who opposes even common-sense gun control measures. Republican domination in the county prevails despite months of agitation for gun control and transparency by the families of children lost at the Robb Elementary massacre on May 24.
With all precincts reporting, Uvaldeans voted for Abbott over Democrat Beto O’Rourke—who supports gun control and has campaigned with help from Uvalde families—by a 22-point margin. By contrast, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz beat O’Rourke in the county in 2018 by only 10. Abbott also bested both of ex-President Donald Trump’s margins from 2016 and 2020, and the governor even narrowly improved on his margin over his 2018 underfunded challenger Lupe Valdez.
At 45 percent, turnout for the top-of-ballot race in Uvalde County was one point lower than in 2018. Republicans also flipped the county clerk seat, though longtime Democratic County Judge Bill Mitchell held his seat by 19 points.
