Greg Abbott leads Beto O'Rourke by 9 percentage points in hypothetical matchup, UT/TT Poll finds

[TexasTowelie]

Source: Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott has a comfortable lead over potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a new poll from the University of Texas at Austin and The Texas Tribune.

The survey of registered voters found Abbott with a 9-percentage-point advantage over O’Rourke, 46% to 37%. Seven percent of respondents picked someone else in the hypothetical matchup, and 10% said they have not thought about it enough to have an opinion.

O’Rourke is increasingly expected to challenge the Republican governor for a third term next year, though he has not made an announcement yet.

Both men have vulnerabilities, according to the survey. Abbott’s approval rating has slightly improved since the last poll in August, but it remains underwater, with 43% of voters approving of the job he is doing and 48% disapproving.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/05/texas-poll-greg-abbott-beto-orourke/

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Article written by Patrick Svitek.

[Lonestarblue]

1. Abbott will be tough to beat. He has catered to the right wing.

Though if we have another event like last February’s weather disaster, with hundreds dying and much of the state without power, his approvals might head south because he has claimed that he has fixed everything needed for the energy facilities. In reality, it’s the major cities like Austin and I assume Dallas and Houston that have been preparing for weather emergencies.

But he threw red meat at the religious right with the abortion and transgender athlete laws. And, of course, the CRT nonsense and parents’/individual rights are an issue here. Book banning and more political interference in education are ahead.

[Escurumbele]

9. "Though if we have another event like last February's weather disaster,.."

People do not pay attention, that should have been enough reason to throw him out of office. The level of COVID infections should be another, his war against voting rights...so many reasons but people are so misinformed and ignorant that even if there was another chaos caused by the weather, more people die, and everyone knows Abbot did nothing to prevent it, they will still vote for him.

A republican must have come with the saying "ignorance is bliss", and it is bliss to them, nothing like having the support of the ignorant and the stupid. Who said "the danger to humanity is the ignorant and the stupid"?

[imavoter]

54. I bought a generator and 3, 5 gallon gas cans.

Candles, matches, and lighters,
Batteries. I already have an electric heater if I need it.

They've fixed nothing.

Luckily i have gas, so I can cook and have hot water.
Buying electric water pot and electric griddle in case lose
gas. Buying 5 gallon water bottles now.

I'll never do last February again.

And I can't believe it's fucking come to this.
Fuck them.

But they'll have to pry my Texas from my cold,
dead hands. We'll get there. Just wish sooner than later.

[Evolve Dammit]

2. "You're damn right we're coming for your AR-15." I appreciate candor. That one statement sends

chills down MAGATs spines and makes them cling to their Guns and God. Obama was right about that too. We are such a moronic, violent society. The rest of the world must think we have so lost our way and shake their collective heads.
I like Beto. He has intelligence and passion for doing what's right.

[oldsoftie]

10. And statements like that can lose elections too.

Its not just "MAGATs" who dont want you "coming" for their guns.
Abbott can be beat but Beto just isnt "the guy" (or it could be a woman)

[Evolve Dammit]

12. Most folk have guns. Not AR-15's though. I think we can exclude them from the general population

and high capacity magazines/clips too. Enough mass shootings, enough school shootings where the common denominator is angry usually white men with these type of weapons. This was not a problem in the past like it has been since Columbine and it is not acceptable. Kids should not have to be afraid to go to school. And parents shouldn't have to worry that some deranged violent male is going to take out dozens of lives before law enforcement can dispatch him.
PS. I'm old school. Everyone I knew growing up had guns. TO HUNT WITH (and target shoot). This shit is a modern problem that we didn't have. I still remember when NRA taught hunter safety and was a good organization. That has all changed.

[oldsoftie]

17. The NRA is even out of step with many of its own MEMBERS!

on several issues.

[Evolve Dammit]

21. I would hope so. Seems like a fascist organization at this point.

[Slammer]

49. publicity

I'm firmly convinced that mass shootings have come to be a thing because of the fame a person can get from it.

Before the internet, your name would get mentioned on the news a couple of times and get printed in the paper but then it was gone.

But people use the internet to publicize their manifestos and count on social media and the 24 hour news industry to transform themselves from a nobody into a Somebody.

Personally, I think a shooter's name should be withheld from the news and from being published on social media platforms.

Try that for five years.

If it works, we've "solved the problem" and can go back to there just being too many guns out there but without the mass shootings.

If it doesn't work, we haven't lost anything other than the for-profit media having more details to use to lure in an audience.

[Evolve Dammit]

51. good question. The "copycat" profile fits in many cases. Psychos study mass killings and modify to

their own twisted desires. I agree the media brings way too much attention to the "shooter" but it is a uniquely American issue. It is very rare elsewhere. It doesn't have to be this way, but we seem unable to deal with it. At all.

[jimfields33]

31. I don't know. We still have the largest immigration in the world

Somehow other countries populations want to come to America.

[Evolve Dammit]

50. And I think they would appreciate feeling safer?

[George II]

3. It's going to be a long year. Only 11.9 months until election day! Surprised they're already polling

[rickyhall]

4. Too many stupid people in Texas

[Probatim]

11. Lots of stupid people in lots of places.

Fearful, stupid people - who don't even realize they are voting against their own best interests.

[PatSeg]

22. That is true

But it feels like Texas has more than their fair share of them. Florida as well I think. I've lived in both states and I am still amazed that so many people are politically illiterate.

[Paladin]

14. And how are things in that center of advanced liberal thought?

DeQueen, Arkansas.

Say hi to Sara Huckabee Sanders, next time she wanders by...

[Historic NY]

5. Maybe if Democrats got more organized they'd have a cahnce....

but the Republicans are writing the rules. The Latino vote is crucial, and most just sit out the Gringo elections.

[link:https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/06/08/ahead-of-2022-vote-texas-democrats-will-target-nearly-2-million-unregistered-voters/|]

[Raven123]

6. Would this be an accurate or an inaccurate poll? I just don't believe them anymore

[SKKY]

7. I hear rumblings from time to time about Matthew McConaughey possibly...

...running. I can't help but think he would be a better match-up.

[JohnSJ]

13. For Texas, in my mind he absolutely stands a better chance. Beto will have issues with guns

among other things with Texans.

That being said, if Beto could motivate the Hispanic vote to come out in large numbers to vote for him, that might change the dynamic, but still I think McConaughey has a better chance against Abbott.

I don't think a lot of people here will appreciate that though

[oldsoftie]

18. I agree with you. nt

[JohnSJ]

19. That's two of us

[PatSeg]

23. I think you're right

McConaughey probably would be a better choice to defeat Abbott.

[JohnSJ]

24. From my perspective, almost anyone who can retire Abbott would be an improvement

[PatSeg]

28. Yes, I totally agree

Get rid of him before he can do even more damage. He seems to be getting worse all the time.

[Elessar Zappa]

32. I agree with you.

McConaughey could very well beat Abbot. He might not make a great governor but he’d definitely be better than what Texas has now.

[jcgoldie]

53. Nobody even knows if that clown's a democrat

Read the cryptic double speak he spews. no thanks.

[Escurumbele]

8. Proof that the citizens of Texas are ignorant and misinformed.

People do not pay attention, republicans are happy to have stupid citizens who will believe anything they post on the internet.

Yessss...lets vote for the guy who is taking my benefits and freedoms away, who cares more about the rich than me and my struggling family...that is the guy I want...

[DownriverDem]

16. As long

as repubs continue the hate they will win.

[Red State Prisoner]

20. Take it easy

There are a lot of us down here in the Lone Star State who are not all that ignorant and misinformed. There is an apathetic/wary Hispanic voting block here that simply does not participate. If they did, the state would swing on a dime (if voting trends among Hispanics hold true). With that said, there are ignorant people everywhere.

[Paladin]

29. Now, now. Don't interrupt the blanket Texas hatred.

Think how many individuals seem to get so much joy out of it...

[DownriverDem]

15. I think

I'm going to throw up. Here we are again with repubs ready to destroy all I care about.

[JI7]

25. The election isn't going to be today

It will be difficult for any Democrat to win but I think Beto will help in getting more new voters and other things that will help in the future even if we don't win this one.

[Lithos]

26. Beto will not beat Abbott

No one will beat Abbott until they can get rid of Abbott's ability to select his voters through Voter suppression. The GOP machine here has done a very effective job at subverting Democracy.

L-

[CanonRay]

27. Looks like Texas is a long way from turning blue.

[hamsterjill]

30. Joe Straus

The discussions that I'm hearing are that the "sane" Republicans (ha! ha!, yes I realize what I just said) are thinking of running Joe Straus, former Speaker of the Texas House, as an Independent against Abbott.

I would love to see Beto beat Abbott, but I just don't think it's possible in the climate that is Texas.

[ColinC]

33. Didn't he start 20 behind Ted Cruz?

Finish within 2? This doesn't seem to be the worst starting point with that considered.

[Polybius]

37. That was before he said this in 2019

[ColinC]

38. You would think he would be 50 behind.

But I think there's something about him that keeps him from falling that far behind

[Polybius]

39. Just wait till the ads come

If he wins the nomination, it'll be non-stop.

[ColinC]

40. Still I imagine he has the best shot

I imagine Texas culture is changing dramatically with the population changes, etc too. But we'll see...

[Polybius]

41. I'd rather nominate a moderate, like a Manchin type

Someone like him might not be ideal, but he's 1,000 times better than Abbott.

[ColinC]

42. I see that working out the same way it did for WV

...the governor flipped parties. I'd like to think that if we can elect 2 progressive Senators in GA (a state until recently that was more Republican than Texas), we can elect an actual Democrat in Texas.

[Polybius]

44. Justice was crazy conservative though

I'd prefer someone who's more to the middle in Texas.

GA is a bit to the left of Texas. Biden won there, and the special elections (January 2021) were at the height of Trump's unpopularity when he was crying about election fraud. 2022 will have nothing like that on the ballot.

We'll see though. A lot of this depends on how popular Biden will be at the time of the election. If he's at 60%, perhaps almost any Democrat can win.

[LiberatedUSA]

45. Such as...

…his “sell your AR-15 for a price we decide or we will arrest you” “Buyback” Mandate idea for guns?

[Polybius]

46. That's gonna crush him

Why does Beto have to be liberal on every single issue? He runs for office in Texas, not Massachusetts.

[TexasTowelie]

48. The 22 deaths that occurred at the Walmart in El Paso had a tremendous impact on him. nt

[jalan48]

34. Who does the oil industry prefer?

[Jon King]

35. Then run a candidate that will fire up progressives and Hispanics.

Got to be a new face somewhere in Texas democratic world. A candidate who will fire up the young, progressives, all the new people who keep moving to Texas to work in high tech, Hispanics who are swing voters.

[Polybius]

36. No surprise, Beto is way too liberal for Texas

It's still quite Red, far more so than Virginia. In order to win, we need to nominate a pro-gun guy, not someone who says "Hell yes we're gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47..."

[Magoo48]

43. Glad I live in California.

[Demnation]

47. The stupid runs deep here in Texas.

[monkeyman1]

52. poll's don't mean crap! they got a running list who will talk to them !

there + or - is total garbage ! by all mean's pay attention to them !

[JustADumbFireman]

55. Secede already.

You'll be Somalia in six months.

[CBHagman]

56. We're talking about a poll result for today for a hypothetical match-up for next year...

...and people are talking as though the election had already taken place! I know it's Texas, but in politics even a few days can be a long time. Our job is to work at it, to think of the long term.