- Tucker Carlson said he'd invite Greg Abbott's primary opponents on his show after Abbott refused.
- Carlson railed against the governor about a migrant "invasion" at the Texas border.
- Abbott appeared on the Fox News host Sean Hannity's show after Carlson's ended on Tuesday night.
The Fox News host Tucker Carlson threatened to host Gov. Greg Abbott's primary opponents on his show after the Texas politician repeatedly refused to go on it.
Carlson said on Tuesday that he'd invited the governor on his show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," on several occasions to speak about the rising number of migrants at the Texas border, where thousands of Haitian immigrants are seeking refuge from an earthquake and a presidential assassination in their country.
"We've asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott many times to come on this show to explain why he hasn't called the National Guard to seal the Texas border to protect the rest of us from this invasion," Carlson said. "Greg Abbott has refused to come on repeatedly."
Abbott is no stranger to appearing on Fox News — he even appeared on the host Sean Hannity's show after Carlson's segment ended on Tuesday.
"We plan to invite his primary opponents onto this show to describe what they would do if they ran Texas," Carlson said on his show. "We'd like to give Gov. Greg Abbott one more chance. Sincerely, tell us how you plan to save the rest of us from what's happening in your state."
Abbott handily defeated his two primary opponents in his 2018 gubernatorial run, winning 90.4% of the vote. He won the general election by about 13 percentage points.
Abbott's approval ratings, however, have tanked in the state — 41% of Texans said they approved of Abbott in the Texas Politics Project's August survey — leaving an opening for Republican and Democratic challengers alike.
Still, no prominent Democratic candidate has declared an intention to run for governor. Former US Rep. Beto O'Rourke has reportedly been "making and receiving calls" about a possible run but has not made an official announcement.