After an easy primary victory, Greg Abbott is on the verge of a historic fourth term as governor of Texas, a milestone that underscores the vast political machine he has built over three decades in office. And with nearly $100 million in his campaign war chest, attention is already turning to what comes next.
During a victory speech on Tuesday night, Mr. Abbott gave no hints about his long-term plans. His eye is on November, he said, and his message is for Texans.
“We believe in God over government. We know that in Texas, freedom is worth fighting for, and we know something else: It actually means something to be Texan,” Mr. Abbott told supporters at the Cedar Door Patio Bar & Grill in downtown Austin.
An Abbott campaign spokesman said Tuesday that despite the governor’s decisive win, he takes nothing for granted. Mr. Abbott, whom the staffer described as laser focused on November, stayed up long after his victory speech to call other candidates he backed this season.
Over the course of his 30 years in statewide office, Mr. Abbott has challenged Democratic presidential administrations and shaped the American conservative agenda. He helped remake what was designed as a weak executive post into a political powerhouse and made a national name for himself.
Mr. Abbott has used his sizable campaign fund as a financial cudgel against his political adversaries, ousting fellow Republicans who challenged him or his priorities and handpicking candidates for the state’s top jobs.
But even a kingmaker loses sometimes. President Trump broke with the governor on two statewide races this year, comptroller and agriculture commissioner. Mr. Abbott’s pick for comptroller, State Senator Kelly Hancock, lost his bid to become the state’s accountant to Don Huffines, a hard-line conservative who once challenged Mr. Abbott for governor.
Mr. Abbott’s win in his own race was perhaps the least surprising result of the night. Even with 10 Republican challengers, the governor dominated with 80 percent of the vote. Mr. Abbott will face State Representative Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat, in November. She has argued that Mr. Abbott’s money, and how he has used it, has become a liability for the governor. Democrats have not won statewide office since the mid-1990s.
“After 30 years of one-party rule, after 12 years of Greg Abbott, there is just a lot of grift in the system,” Ms. Hinojosa told The New York Times on Tuesday night. She acknowledged she would need to try to match his fundraising operation. “We’re going to have to raise tens of millions of dollars,” she said. “And I have no doubt that we’re going to do that.”
Mr. Abbott has been cautious not to telegraph what could come next if he wins in November. Judicious and guarded, the governor is loath to let the narrative get away from him. But at 68, he still has many political years ahead of him: If Mr. Abbott were to run for the White House in the next couple of cycles, he would still be younger than the current president.
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