SAN ANTONIO – As part of his “Celebration of Texas” tour, Gov. Greg Abbott and his wife Cecilia made a pit stop at Smoke BBQ and Sky Bar on Saturday.
“Greg and I are so happy to be here in San Antonio,” Cecilia said, introducing her husband on stage.
He’s been spending a lot of time in South Texas after announcing his run for re-election a few weeks ago.
On Saturday, the governor spoke in front of an energetic crowd. Abbott touted his successes, including the state’s economic bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The numbers prove it because Texas now has replaced all of the jobs that have been lost during COVID and added even more,” Abbott said.
Abbott showed his support not only for the public school system in Texas but also for law enforcement, saying his niece is an officer with San Antonio Police Department.
He also touched on the situation at the border, emphasizing his stance on securing the border while using the time to hit at his opponent Beto O’Rourke.
“The worst thing that could happen to Texas is if you had a governor who was joined with Joe Biden and his open border policies,” Abbott said.
But similar to Abbott, O’Rourke understands the importance of getting voters here in South Texas.
He was in San Antonio this Wednesday and Austin on Friday. The Democratic challenger focused on the failed voting bills.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act were voted down Wednesday in the Senate after two Democrats refused to change party rules to overcome the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold.
O’Rourke said this is a failure for Texas in particular, one he hopes to overcome.
“Over the course of February, two million Texans will hear from somebody on this campaign to remind them about their right to vote, to help educate them about what it takes to vote in this state,” O’Rourke said.
Both Abbott and O’Rourke are hitting the campaign trails hard ahead of the March 1st primary, which if you haven’t registered to vote, there is still time. The deadline is January 31st.