Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) dismissed concerns about Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-Texas, pictured above left) bid to oust Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in November because Texans “don’t want the George Soros (above right) policies here” and are “hostile” to the idea of “big government” bureaucrats running their lives.
“I think that that is the beginning of the end of the O’Rourke campaign in Texas,” Abbott said Monday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” when asked about O’Rourke’s slow unfolding of his liberal campaign platform.
O’Rourke, who is trailing Cruz by just a few percentage points in a smattering of recent polls, has mobilized Texas Democrats and energized a party seeking to retake majorities in the House and Senate following its resounding defeat across the board in 2016.
Texans are hostile to anybody talking about having big government programs run their lives.”
But Abbott warned that O’Rourke’s progressive agenda of increased taxes, calling for universal health care, increasing regulations, expanded gun control, and open borders immigration laws won’t resonate with a majority of Texans.
“Listen, we’ve seen this show before. We saw it in my first race for governor four years ago, when Wendy Davis (D) was getting money and support from across the entire country, only to lose by 20 percentage points once it was revealed the positions that she really stood for,” Abbott said.
“The same thing is happening with Beto O’Rourke,” Abbott said.
“[O’Rourke] has been a cult-like very popular figure the way that he has run the campaign. But you don’t vote on cult, you don’t vote on personality when you get to the United States Senate. You vote on the issues,” Abbott added. “He is talking about wealth redistribution through the imposition of more taxes. He is talking about open borders in this state, which most Texans are hostile to.”
Abbott also took a swipe at liberal billionaire George Soros and the lack of clout he has with Texans.
Related: Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke Denies He Tried to Flee the Scene of a Drunken Car Crash
“They don’t want the George Soros policies here in the state of Texas,” Abbott said, noting that Texans also care about support in the Senate for President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees.
“What I think matters the most is where people stand on policy issues. Texans are hostile to any candidate who is talking about raising their taxes. Texans are hostile to anybody talking about having big government programs run their lives,” Abbott emphasized. “We are independent Texans. We want to chart our own course without the federal government intruding more into our lives.”
“And as a result, the more that is exposed, the more that Beto O’Rourke is going to continue to sink,” Abbott predicted.
O’Rourke and Cruz will face off on November 6.
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