Texas (WBAP/KLIF) As former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke embarked on a tour across Texas earlier this year rallying against proposed election reform legislation, speculation ran high that may run for governor of the Lone Star State.
O’Rourke has remained mum on the matter, but an Axios report on Sunday cites ‘Texas political operatives’ who reportedly say that O’Rourke is on a path to a political comeback — as in a challenge to Governor Abbott next year.
Texas Democrats have held off on announcing a viable candidate to join the race, as they waited for O’Rourke to make a move.
O’Rourke narrowly lost Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate in 2018, and launched failed run for president last year.
There are currently 5 declared candidates for the GOP primary for governor to include former Texas Republican Party chairman Allen west and former Texas State Senator Don Huffines.
Declared candidates according to Wikipedia:
- Greg Abbott, incumbent governor[9]
- Paul G. Belew, criminal defense attorney[10]
- Don Huffines, former member of the Texas Senate (2015–2019)[11]
- Chad Prather, BlazeTV talk show host, activist, and stand-up comedian[12]
- Kurt Schwab, military veteran[12]
- Allen West, former chair of the Texas Republican Party and former U.S. representative for Florida’s 22nd congressional district[13][14]
Meantime, in a new poll by the Dallas Morning News and UT/Tyler shows that O’Rourke has narrowed the gap with Abbott in a hypothetical matchup, down, 37%-42%. In July, O’Rourke faced a 12-point deficit, 33%-45%.
(Copyright 2021 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from The Dallas Morning News and Axios.)