LOCKHART, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held a campaign rally on Sunday in the first stop of his “Celebration of Texas Tour” at historic Smitty’s Market in Lockhart.
After being introduced by State Rep. John Cyrier, Gov. Abbott addressed the crowd to announce his re-election, discussing his vision to secure the future of Texas and build on the many victories he has achieved for the state.
“We will not let big government socialists destroy our state with their radical agenda,” said Gov. Abbott. “Together, we’ve made Texas a national and international economic juggernaut. Texas is the No. 1 state to start a small business. Last year, Texas went from the 10th largest economy in the world to the ninth largest economy. And today, more Texans have jobs than ever before, and more Caldwell County residents have jobs today than ever before.”
Gov. Abbott also highlighted his efforts to "secure Texas' southern border."
“One of the greatest safety threats to Texas is Biden’s reckless and dangerous open border policy,” Abbott said at the rally. “Texas has responded with the strongest border security effort by any state ever. We provided $3 billion for Texas to secure the border and added 15 laws cracking down on the heinous crime of human trafficking.”
On his “Celebration of Texas Tour,” Gov. Abbott will travel across the state, hosting 60 events with Texans in communities throughout the Lone Star State before the primary election in March, his campaign says.
The Lockhart event was streamed on Abbott's Facebook page here. You can watch the full event below:
The Texas Tribune reported that before Abbott confronts a likely general-election battle against Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who faces minimal opposition in the Democratic primary, the governor has to get through a nominating contest that features several critics on his right, including former State Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and former Texas GOP Chair Allen West.
O'Rourke has said he wants to visit all 254 counties, like he did during his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign, and has hit over two dozen since launching his latest campaign in November.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: