Greg Abbott has $86 million. Texas Democrats don’t have a candidate. Here’s why | Opinion
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- Gov. Greg Abbott holds $86 million in campaign funds with no challenger in sight.
- Abbott’s broad voter approval and record victories deter Democratic contenders.
- Texas Democrats focus on down-ballot races, leaving the governor's race vacant.
Gov. Greg Abbott is down to his last $86 million.
In his 11th year leading the state, Abbott has wielded his power and punished political opponents like no other Texas governor. The payoff is a $20 million topoff for his campaign account, including four $1 million donations..
Is it any wonder that Democrats are talking about running for U.S. Senate, lieutenant governor and attorney general, but nobody yet has even hinted at challenging Abbott?
The former Houston judge has blended his judicious, even-handed style with rock-solid resolve. He spent the bucks to run more than a dozen Republicans out of office and bust up public schools’ power over the Texas House.
Yet he remains the state’s most popular Republican official, and it’s not even close.
“Abbott has a clear path to re-election, due principally to a wall of cash but also to a broad satisfaction among voters, and not just Republican voters,” SMU political scientist Cal Jillson wrote by email.
Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones called Abbott a “campaign juggernaut” with not only money but also a campaign staff that “understands Texas voters and knows how to reach them like no other.”
Abbott has been on the statewide Republican ballot since 1998, when Democrat Bob Bullock was lieutenant governor and Democrats still controlled the Texas House.
His average victory margin in those seven elections for Supreme Court justice, attorney general and governor is 19 points.
The closest any Democrat has come to Abbott is 11 points. That was El Paso Democrat Beto O’Rourke in 2022.
“Maybe Beto can be convinced to do another kamikaze run at governor,” Jillson wrote, maybe tongue-in-cheek.
In recent years, Abbott’s image has benefited from the bluster of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Patrick, a former Houston talk radio host, can be the tempestous firebrand. Abbott is more stable, and more trusted.
Patrick’s approval rate in the June University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll of 1,200 voters was 30% after his wild-eyed crusade against regulated sales of THC drinks, gummies and chocolates.
That was still better than Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 29% or U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s 28%, although technically the 3% margin of error left them all about even.
Abbott, on the other hand, had a 41% approval rate.
If nothing else, O’Rourke’s passionate 2022 campaign kept Abbott focused on the race. In 2018, when the Democratic nominee was Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Abbott was able to lollygag and still won by 13 points.
Fort Worth Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis pressured him early in the 2014 race. But Davis lost by 20.
“Whichever Democrat draws the short straw and runs for governor is not only likely destined to lose, but also to see their image tarnished statewide by millions of dollars of negative attack ads,” Jones wrote.
Is it any wonder that the early Democratic ticket is lining up as former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas for senator, Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin for lieutenant governor and either Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas or former mayor Joe Jaworski of Galveston for attorney general?
And (fill in the blank) for governor?
Jones mentioned the other Democrats considering a Senate run against Allred, trying to defeat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or challenger Paxton.
“If you are Beto O’Rourke, [U.S. Rep.] Joaquin Castro or [state Rep.] James Talarico, your odds of beating Colin Allred in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary and then defeating Ken Paxton in the November 2026 general election election are likely better than those of defeating Greg Abbott,” Jones wrote.
That top-heavy lineup and lack of coordination hurts Democrats, Jillson wrote.
“Without well-known candidates in the top four races, fundraising will lag and the whole ticket will be compromised,” he wrote.
“The boat won’t move if everyone is pulling on the same oar.”
Democrats can’t even afford the boat.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 10:03 AM.
