Abbott tops GOP primary field, leads O’Rourke in matchup: poll

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tops his primary challengers and leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke in the Lone Star State’s  2022 gubernatorial race, according to a new poll released Thursday. 

A poll from The Hill/Emerson College Polling found that 61 percent of likely voters in Texas support Abbott’s reelection campaign in the Republican primary. 

His closest challenger, Republican Allen West, has registered 12 percent support in the primary, according to the survey. 

Abbott, who has been governor for seven years, is also leading in the poll’s general election matchup against Democratic frontrunner O’Rourke.

O’Rourke garnered 78 percent support among likely Texas voters polled on the Democratic candidate pool. 

The former 2020 presidential nominee previously ran for Senate in Texas, putting up a formidable fight in 2018 to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).  

Abbott currently leads O’Rourke in the poll by seven points, with 52 percent to those surveyed supporting Abbott and 45 percent supporting O’Rourke. Three percent are unsure of their vote. 

Abbott leads with male voters in Texas and most age groups while O’Rourke leads with young voters ages 18 to 29. Female voters are split between the two candidates. 

In the state’s attorney general race, incumbent Ken Paxton (R) garnered 43 percent support in the Republican primary while Rochelle Garza leads the Democratic primary with 30 percent support. 

The Republican has made headlines during his time in office following accusations of abusing his position and accepting bribes. 

The poll, conducted between Feb. 21 and Feb. 22, surveyed 522 likely voters in the Republican primary with a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. The Democratic primary sample surveyed 388 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. The general election sample surveyed 1,000 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.