Beto O’Rourke kicked off his campaign for governor of Texas in Dallas on Sunday before a crowd of thousands.
His repeated message was for unity over party.
“This cruelty of pitting each other against one another and further dividing this highly polarized state, that is not us,” O’Rourke told the crowd. “We are not Republicans or Democrats but that we are Texans first and foremost before anything else.”
Beto spoke of lowering property taxes, using federal funds to expand Medicare, legalizing marijuana and Texas’ winter freeze. He stressed common ground issues: better healthcare and schools and bigger paychecks.
FiveThirtyEight shows Abbott’s approval rating on a downhill slide, with polls showing voter disappointment in the state’s response to the power grid issue, the GOP push to ban abortions, and allowing concealed carry of handguns without a permit.
Abbott still holds leads over O’Rourke in various polls showing 9-5 point leads, as Republicans have pounced on O’Rourke’s previous statements on gun control, the Green New Deal, and opposition to the border wall.