SAN ANTONIO – Republican Greg Abbott has been elected Texas governor in a decisive victory over Democrat Wendy Davis, whose national star power outshined her flickering candidacy.
"Tonight, Texans sent a message. You voted for hope over fear, for unity over division, for the majesty of what Texas is and what it can be," said Abbott at his campaign watch party.
As state attorney general, Abbott has stridently defended tough conservative Texas laws over voter ID and abortion.
"Throughout his campaign, General Abbott has reminded us of how strong he is, how determined he is, and while he and I disagree on many issues, I know that he loves Texas," said Davis in her concession speech.
He is the first new Texas governor in 14 years. Gov. Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in state history, declined to seek a fourth full term while mulling another White House run in 2016.
Davis never gave Abbott a close race despite record-breaking fundraising and supporters nationwide. She was the most high-profile Texas Democrat to run in decades after winning fame with her nearly 13-hour filibuster over new Texas abortion restrictions last year.
Abbott: As Texas goes, so does the nation, world
Abbott said that as Texas goes, so goes the rest of the United States and the world.
He called his win a testament to a state where "a young man's life can literally be broken in half" and still recover -- a reference to the accident that paralyzed him from the waist down.
He said he would work to make government "the servant of the people -- not the other way around."
Speaking before Abbott were outgoing Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Ted Cruz and other elected officials who were part of another Republican sweep of top statewide offices.
Davis reassures fans in Texas governor's race
A teary-eyed Wendy Davis has told her supporters that it's OK to be disappointed, but not discouraged, by her loss in the governor's race.
The Texas state senator lost Tuesday by a decisive margin to Attorney General Greg Abbott, part of Texas Republicans' sweep of top statewide offices.
Speaking in Fort Worth, Davis called on Democrats to keep fighting for their values and candidates. She thanked her supporters for never backing down.
Davis vaulted to national prominence thanks to her filibuster of a tough abortion restrictions law last year, and her campaign raised tens of millions of dollars statewide and nationally. But she was considered a heavy underdog to Abbott in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office in 20 years.
To listen to Greg Abbott speak from Austin click here.
To listen to Wendy Davis speak from Fort Worth click here.