Greg Abbott for president 2024? Beto O’Rourke debate is a clue to facing DeSantis, Trump
Greg Abbott for president?
It’s not that far-fetched, after a rapid-action debate where he kept his poise and focus against intense challenger Beto O’Rourke.
Abbott wasn’t just running for his third term.
In the eyes of potential donors, he was also trying out as a possible dark-horse contender in the 2024 campaign opposite whichever Florida man runs, or for a spot on the ticket.
I am not kidding.
Two states dominate the Republican Party. Anybody who isn’t aligned with a Florida candidate — either Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump or both — will look for help from Texas.
“Nobody should ever ignore a candidate from Texas, given its size and power,” nationally known political scientist Larry Sabato wrote from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “Abbott would be able to speak to border security as well or better than anyone else, even DeSantis. And Texas is ground zero for the immigration debate. That’s a big plus for him.”
But Republicans lately have gone for belligerence and bluster.
“That doesn’t describe Abbott at all,” Sabato said.
In a combative field, Abbott would be the steady candidate.
He might not win the nomination, but he could increase his profile enough to be a needed running mate for someone from a smaller state, like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“There’s no doubt the Abbott team is looking at the presidential race,” Plano-based consultant Vinny Minchillo said.
“All the fundamentals are there — successful red-state governor, excellent fundraiser and a smart political player. Definitely a good matchup with DeSantis.”
Abbott’s free bus rides sending migrants to New York and Washington — upstaged by DeSantis’ more sensational plane flights to Massachusetts — lifted the Texan to national headlines and greater Fox News fame.
Minchillo said that national Democratic commercials now include Abbott in “the rogues’ gallery of Republicans — a sure sign you’re now a national figure.”
Debating O’Rourke helped Abbott. He didn’t come away a clear winner, but he didn’t need to.
He went up against a tough opponent in a nerve-wracking, hectic flurry of timers and bells. And he didn’t crack.
“Experience with sharp and antagonistic debate opponents is a good thing for any potential presidential candidate,” UT Arlington political scientist Rebecca Deen wrote by email.
Said Keith Gaddie of the University of Oklahoma: “There are ways to lose debates — that didn’t happen with Abbott and O’Rourke.”
In his closing comments, Abbott, a stoic 22-year judge and attorney general, let down the curtain ever so slightly.
Whether you agree with him on gun rights or abortion — and most Texans don’t — “I’m governing from my principles,” he said.
Gaddie said: “The question for Abbott is — is the GOP about bluster or is it about an agenda?”
Abbott himself has downplayed talk of 2024.
But two years ago, when KSKY/660 AM host Mark Davis asked him directly about the campaign, Abbott said: “The first step is to win re-election and after that, Mark, we’ll see what happens.”
Both The New York Times and The Hill recently wrote about Abbott’s chilly relations with DeSantis and the Texas governor’s potential pathway to the ticket.
He would not be a Trump or DeSantis.
But some voters might want a Greg Abbott.
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Greg Abbott for president 2024? Beto O’Rourke debate is a clue to facing DeSantis, Trump."
