Abbott tops O’Rourke by 7 points in new Texas poll

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Beto O’Rourke ran for campaigns including U.S. Senate and president.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (R-Texas) by 7 points in a new poll tracking November’s gubernatorial race.

The survey, conducted by The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas at Tyler, found that in a race between Abbott and O’Rourke, 45 percent of registered voters polled would support the incumbent governor, while 38 percent would vote for the former congressman.

Sixteen percent of respondents said they would vote for someone else, and 1 percent said they remain unsure.

Abbott received a greater share of support among independents at 36 percent to 29 percent.

The survey, conducted between Feb. 8 and Feb. 15, comes roughly nine months before Texans will head to the polls to vote for the next chief executive of the Lone Star State.

Abbott is vying for his third term. O’Rourke is gunning for governor of the state after running unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate and president.

Before either candidate can proceed to the general election, however, they have to best a number of primary candidates — but both Texans are currently leading within their parties.

Sixty percent of registered voters polled said they plan to support Abbott in the GOP primary. No other candidate polled double digits. Former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) came in second with seven percent support.

Fifteen percent of respondents, however, said they do not know who they plan to vote for.

A similar situation emerged on the Democratic side. O’Rourke is dominating the field with 68 percent support among primary candidates in the new poll, with no other candidate securing more than five percent. Former Austin public-radio journalist Joy Diaz polled second with four percent support.

Fourteen percent of respondents, however, do not yet know who they will vote for in the primary.

O’Rourke set off on a road trip earlier this month to bring attention to Texas infrastructure. He said he would be traveling more than 2,000 miles and hold public events between Feb. 4 and Feb. 15.

Abbott earlier in February filed a motion to block the military from enforcing its vaccine mandate for certain National Guard members in Texas, arguing that President Biden did not federalize the Texas National Guard, giving him no authority to enforce the mandate.

The poll surveyed 1,188 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Updated 11:01 p.m.