In Final Stretch of Texas Governor's Race, Poll Numbers Have Not Changed Significantly

Texas's GOP Gov. Greg Abbott and former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, of El Paso, have been campaigning for your vote in the Texas governor's race for months, but the numbers in this race remain consistent. 

SMU Political Science Professor Mathew Wilson refers to this race as remarkably stable.

“Just about every poll that has been taken for the last year has shown somewhere between 5 and 10 points as the margin, so what that has always meant is that Abbott is clearly in the lead, but Beto remains within striking distance,” Wilson said.

The latest Dallas Morning News, UT at Tyler poll shows Gov. Abbott up 9 points, 47% to 38%. 

Earlier this month, we asked O'Rourke about poll numbers.

“I think seeing what's happened in New York, and Alaska, and Kansas, the extraordinary level of turnout against extremism in those states regardless of what the polls said prior to those elections, voters — Democrats, Independents and Republicans — are standing up against extremism,” O’Rourke said on Sept. 7.

O'Rourke has been campaigning on the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. Democrats are making that a central issue with the all-important midterms around the corner.

"Certainly, I think at this point O’Rourke needs to be concerned, because none of the events, none of the attacks, seemed to have really moved the needle. He was hopeful that he could energize Democratic support and some suburban moderate support around the abortion issue after the Dobbs decision, but Abbott appears to have weathered the storm,” added Wilson.

Abbott has made the border and policies in Washington central to his campaign.

He was asked by NBC 5 earlier in the summer what it takes to win.

“Everything is looking good right now. I just need one thing, and that is I need my supporters to turn out and vote. If my supporters turn out and vote it will be another victory,” Gov. Abbott said on NBC 5 in July.

The candidates now head into the final stretch.

O’Rourke begins a college tour next week. 

The Abbott campaign says he'll be traveling the state regularly until election day.  

They will meet in a debate on Sept. 30 on the campus of the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg.