Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has won his third term in the Texas governor’s mansion, defeating Beto O’Rourke in his latest bid to be the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas in nearly three decades. Abbott, who campaigned on strengthening the business climate in the state as the nation’s economy continues to struggle under inflation and rising interest rates, handily defeated O’Rourke, who sought to focus the race on social issues like abortion—now banned with nearly no exceptions in the Lone Star State—and increasing regulation on firearms. The governor continues the Republican Party’s dominance in Texas, where the party holds a majority in both chambers of the state legislature, every statewide office, both U.S. Senators and every seat on the state Supreme Court.
