More Texas voters believe Abbott does not deserve reelection: poll
More Texas voters believe Gov. Greg Abbott (R) does not deserve to be reelected, according to a poll released on Tuesday.
The survey conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 51 percent of registered voters in Texas believe Abbott does not deserve to be reelected, compared with 42 percent who said the governor deserves a third term.
The opposition to Abbott’s reelection was up from June, when a separate Quinnipiac poll found that 46 percent of Texas voters supported Abbott’s 2022 reelection bid, compared with 48 percent who did not.
The most recent poll also found that only 44 percent of Texans approve of the way Abbott is handling his job as governor, compared with 47 percent who disapprove of the work he has done.
Those numbers, according to Quinnipiac, mark the first time since the firm started polling on the Lone Star State that Abbott’s approval rating has sunk below his disapproval rating, referred to as being “underwater.”
Abbott and his state have spent a considerable amount of time in the headlines recently, including after he signed the most restrictive abortion law in the nation and as the Texas legislature engaged in a fierce debate over a controversial voting rights bill.
Abbott is up for reelection in 2022 and has already secured a coveted endorsement from former President Trump, who threw his support behind the governor in January.
He has maintained strong support among members of his party. Eighty-three percent of Republicans polled approve of the way Abbott is handling his job, with only 12 percent disapproving.
In contrast, 43 percent of independents and only 6 percent of Democrats gave Abbott positive marks.
The poll surveyed 863 registered Texas voters between Sept. 24 and Sept. 27. The margin of error is 3.3 percentage points.
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