Abbott holds 7-point lead in Texas governor race: survey

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is leading his Democratic opponent, Beto O’Rourke, by 7 points in the state’s gubernatorial race with only six weeks left before Election Day, according to a new poll.

The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll released Sunday found that 51 percent of likely voters plan to vote for Abbott, while 44 percent intend to vote for O’Rourke. Abbott’s lead increases to 10 percent among voters who said they will almost certainly vote in November’s election.

Nearly every Democrat and Republican planned to vote in line with their party affiliation, with 94 percent of Republicans backing Abbott and 95 percent of Democrats supporting O’Rourke. However, Abbott held a 28-point lead over O’Rourke among respondents who identified as independents.

While Abbott showed a strong lead among white voters, O’Rourke led the incumbent governor among Black and Hispanic voters, although his lead with Hispanic voters was slimmer.

O’Rourke’s support also came primarily from younger populations — Generation Z and millennials — while Abbott drew support from older populations — Generation X, baby boomers and the Silent Generation.

Male voters were more likely to support Abbott, while women voters only slightly preferred O’Rourke to his Republican opponent, according to the poll.

The results of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll match up with other recent polls. A poll from Emerson College and The Hill released on Tuesday showed Abbott leading O’Rourke by 8 points, 50 percent to 42 percent.

The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll was conducted Sept. 6-15 with 1,172 likely Texas voters and had a confidence interval of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.