Under a hot San Antonio afternoon sky, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced his gubernatorial candidacy Sunday at historic La Villita.
A crowd of about 200 supporters waited in 100-degree temperatures through a theatrical production of more than an hour for their candidate to appear on stage at historic La Villita in downtown San Antonio.
They fanned themselves with cardboard campaign placards that proclaimed, "Fast Cars, Firearms and Freedom" while a local personality led a trivia contest about Abbott’s age, his boy scout troop number and number of siblings. A video played about the accident in Houston that caused Abbott to become paralyzed at the beginning of a promising law career.
"When you’re lying in bed throttled with pain, you have to apply lessons that you’ve learned all your life. And for me, that lesson was perseverance," Abbott explained in a campaign video that preceded his speech.
Once onstage, Abbott moved back and forth waving to supporters until the music stopped and he began to speak. He talked about his background and proclaimed his successes as Attorney General, which includes suing the federal government 27 times.
"The very day the President signed Obamacare into law, I took him to court to fight for our constitutional rights," Abbott said.
He spoke about San Antonio as his wife’s hometown and the place where they married, punctuating his comments with Spanish phrases but not speaking directly to Latino issues.
"Our marriage has lasted because our relationship has been based on the same foundational principles even though we come from different houses. Dos casas pero una fundación," he said.
Abbott, who has served as Attorney General since 2002, has reportedly raised almost $22 million for his campaign. Although Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, has said she may consider a run for governor, the only other candidate to announce in so far is Republican Tom Pauken.
