Governor Greg Abbott to Keynote Chamber Confab

SAN ANGELO, TX — The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce announced that Governor Greg Abbott will keynote the annual West Texas Legislative Summit on August 4.

Abbott is in a tightening race for re-election this year against Democrat Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke. The latest poll from the University of Houston shows Abbott leading O’Rourke by 6 points among 1006 likely voters. O'Rourke also out-fundraised Abbott for campaign dollars this reporting period that ends today. Abbott needs west Texas votes to overcome the expected blue onslaught in the urban centers of Texas.

The West Texas Legislative Summit is a one-day schedule of speeches and roundtable discussions about issues important to rural Texas. This year the agenda is generally set by the state officials from the Concho Valley, State Rep. Drew Darby and Texas Senator Charles Perry.

The overall topic for the conference is “Growing. Building. Achieving: A West Texas Showcase.” Among the topics to be explored are:

• On the Brink: Challenges & Outcomes in Rural Hospitals & Healthcare
• Leveraging Opportunities for Long-Term Economic Growth
• Growing Future Water Supply: Pipes, Produced Water and Drought 
• Lunch Keynote Speaker: Speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan
• Building a Foundation for the Future: Internet, Interstates, & Infrastructure
• Achieving Energy Independence: A West Texas Energy Goldmine

Governor Abbott will speak in the afternoon. This is the event’s 18th year and will be held at Angelo State University’s CJ Davidson Conference Center, located inside of the Houston Harte University Center.