Abbott Urges San Angelo Voters to ‘Keep Texas Red’ at Get-Out-The-Vote Stop

SAN ANGELO, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott told supporters at a get-out-the-vote event Thursday in San Angelo that the Nov. 3 election is a contest between “common sense” and “crazy."

Abbott, who was speaking at the Arc Light Bar & Grill, urged people to vote and use a campaign app to recruit others while attacking Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s record on the border, taxes, crime and other issues. 

Speaking after an introduction by Mayor Tom Thompson, Abbott said San Angelo values are on the line and that he will fight to preserve them. He cited 2.6 million new jobs created under his leadership — a figure he equated to the combined population of Dallas and Fort Worth — and said more Texans are employed than at any point in state history, with higher wages and a lower poverty rate. He also said his affordability plan would cut average family costs by more than $4,000 a year. 

Abbott repeatedly contrasted his positions with those of Hinojosa. He said she voted against laws he signed cracking down on human trafficking, banning sanctuary cities, building a state border wall, and making illegal border crossing a state crime. He accused her of supporting sanctuary cities and of voting to defund the police, while noting he created a statewide task force targeting violent repeat offenders and required cities and counties to fully fund law enforcement. 

On taxes, Abbott said Hinojosa voted more than 40 times to raise property taxes, supported an income tax and backed an inheritance tax. He noted he secured a constitutional amendment prohibiting an inheritance tax. He also said she voted against a law restricting land purchases by foreign adversaries such as China and against designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. 

Abbott further claimed Hinojosa supports boys competing in girls’ sports, voted for public schools to facilitate transitions of children without parental knowledge, and supported prosecuting parents who “misgender” their children at home. He said he banned boys from girls’ sports and signed the strongest parents’-rights legislation in the country. He also said she voted against legislation restricting voting to U.S. citizens. 

The governor described the race as one in which Hinojosa is more liberal than James Talarico and the most liberal member of the Texas House. He urged the crowd to download the Abbott Impact app, link their contacts to the Texas voter file, and contact people who have not yet voted. He offered photos to those who had already voted or promised to do so immediately, noting the nearest early-voting location — the Francis Frink Keyes Building at 113 Beauregard Ave. 

In a brief question-and-answer period, Abbott defended guidelines he said he has set for data centers, stating they must not strain the power grid, must help lower electricity costs and must not invade neighborhoods or rural areas. On property taxes, he outlined proposals to require a two-thirds vote for any increase, lower the annual appraisal cap from 10% to 3%, and shift public-education funding from local homesteads to the state.

Early voting turnout in Tom Green County has reached 8,680 in-person ballots as of Thursday morning, representing 11.7% of registered voters, according to the elections office.