Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday told his Democrat challenger Beto O'Rourke to "bring it" shortly after the former House Representative announced his candidacy for governor.
"Beto wants to: defund the police kill good paying oil & gas job allow chaotic open border policies support the failing Biden agenda impose socialism [and] take your guns," Abbott, a Republican, wrote on Twitter, before adding the words "bring it," reports The Hill.
O’Rourke announced his candidacy through a funding email and video statement. His campaign is the third in three years, after he first ran for the Senate against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018 and then for the White House in 2020.
He said he's running in response to the state's reaction to the winter storm that hit Texas in February, knocking out power and leading to several deaths.
"This past February when the electricity grid failed and millions of fellow Texans were without power, which meant that the lights wouldn’t turn on, the heat wouldn’t run and pretty soon their pipes froze, and the water stopped flowing, they were abandoned by those who are elected to serve and look out for them," O'Rourke said in his announcement.
"It’s a symptom of a much larger problem in Texas right now: Those in positions of public trust have stopped listening to, serving and paying attention to and trusting the people of Texas."
O'Rourke, when running against Sen. Ted Cruz, came within 3 points of the Republican incumbent. However, Abbott is a strong candidate, having brought in more than $55 million for his campaign and winning his reelection in 2018 by several points.
Abbott, however, has signed several controversial bills, including the state's restrictive fetall heartbeat abortion bill, which is expected to bring Democrats out to oppose his reelection.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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