Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott easily cruised to a primary victory Tuesday night, claiming over 91 percent of the votes cast, and is now looking forward to the general election in November.
Former Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade said it’s no accident that Abbott picked San Antonio to hold his primary victory celebration. She said it’s a city that’s close to his heart and it’s also key to helping the Texas Republican Party win a greater share of the Hispanic vote.
"I think it’s a great time of opportunity to be heard," Andrade said. "If this is what Greg Abbott wants -- our vote -- then he is listening to us. And I will tell you that by him being here it’s proof that he is listening to us."
After serving as attorney general for the last 12 years, Abbott and his supporters were nothing but confident as they watched the returns. Primary night was a formality for Abbott.
There were three other names listed on the ballot for the Republican nomination for governor – Lisa Fritsch, Miriam Martinez and SECEDE Kilgore – but with the release of the early voting tallies it was immediately clear that nothing was going to keep Abbott from the nomination.
When he did take the stage, Abbott told the crowd of about 300 supporters about his plans for winning the governor’s office with an appeal toward greater diversity in the Texas Republican Party.
“Later this year when I raise my right hand and take the oath of office my wife will make history in the State of Texas as the first Latina first lady for the great state of Texas,” Abbott said.
Without mentioning the Democratic nominee Wendy Davis by name, Abbott did take aim and worked on defining the general election campaign as being about small government vs. big government.
“Now that the primaries are over it’s time that we turn our eyes toward the general election," Abbott said.
"And the question arises: What direction will be the best direction for the future of the state of Texas? Some answer that question by demanding more government. We have seen that more government leads to more spending which leads to more taxes which would lead to the devastation of the economic miracle that Texas has created that has elevated our state to the pinnacle of the United States of America. And I say no way to bigger government in the state of Texas.”
Abbott also sketched out his vision for education for Texas. He pledged to keep CSCOPE and Common Core out of Texas. He said he wants to make the state's education system number one in the nation.
