Texas Gov. Abbott Leads Beto O’Rourke By Just 1 Point In Potential Matchup, Poll Suggests
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s bid for a third term is set to face a major challenge from former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, according to a poll released on Monday, which shows the governor holding a lead of just one percentage point over O’Rourke in the likely 2022 matchup.
The poll from the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation and Rice University found Abbott with 43% support among all registered voters in a ballot featuring O’Rourke (42%), along with a Libertarian candidate (2%) and a Green Party candidate (1%).
The four-person ballot did not include well-known actor Matthew McConaughey, who’s been publicly mulling a run.
If he runs, McConaughey doesn’t appear to be a serious contender for governor, according to the poll, which showed only 9% of registered voters supporting him on a five-candidate ballot.
In the scenario McConaughey runs, the poll found he’d mostly take support away from O’Rourke, who drops from 42% in the four-candidate scenario down to 37%, while Abbott’s support drops from 43% to 40%.
The poll of 1,402 voters took place from October 14 to October 27.