Abbott changes policies as political winds shift
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Gov. Greg Abbott has reversed course on key policy issues during his reelection campaign, as his critics have accused him of putting corporate interests above Texans.
Why it matters: Facing an unexpectedly tough challenge from Democrat Gina Hinojosa, Abbott has changed his tune on data centers, Flock cameras and the border wall.
State of play: Abbott holds a three-point lead over Hinojosa in a Texas Public Opinion Research poll released Friday. A recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll showed Hinojosa ahead by one point.
- Both polls were within the margin of error.
Catch up quick: Not quite a year ago, Abbott called Texas the "epicenter of AI development" as he joined Google to announce a $40 billion investment in three data center campuses in the state.
- Starting in June, however, as rural Texans pushed back on data centers, Abbott issued a series of directives ostensibly intended to limit the construction of new data centers. (Despite that, data center developers have continued to obtain state permits.)
- In August, Abbott blocked state agencies from spending money for Flock license plate readers. But since 2023, a little-known state board appointed mostly by Abbott has directed $30 million in fees from Texans' auto insurance toward the purchase of 3,200 Flock cameras, the Texas Tribune reported.
- Also in August, Abbott claimed credit for a halt to federal border barrier construction in Big Bend National Park — even though he has lauded President Trump's approach to border security. (A federal judge halted the construction in October; the Department of Justice appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court last week.)
What they're saying: "These are political games," Hinojosa told CNN in August about Abbott's moratorium on data centers.
- Abbott "knows he's in trouble, he sees the same polling that we see."
- Abbott's campaign and press office didn't reply to interview requests.
Between the lines: "Abbott's evolving positions have nothing to do with Democrats, but shoring up his position among Republicans who have shown weak engagement throughout this cycle," Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project, tells Axios.
- "If Abbott manages to reengage those Republicans, part of that story will be his adept navigation of a difficult issue environment," Blank says, noting that data centers are "an easier conversation than one about the economy."
Flashback: Abbott has shown himself politically malleable before. In 2021, Abbott co-opted some of the positions of former state Sen. Don Huffines, who was mounting a primary challenge from Abbott's right.
- Abbott barred private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for employees, announced Texas would build its own border wall and sought to equate gender-affirming health care for minors as child abuse — all positions previously staked out by Huffines.
- Abbott won 66.5% of the vote in the 2022 Republican primary.
Zoom out: Abbott has long publicly aligned himself with Trump, but, like a lot of Republicans nationwide, he's dropped Trump from his campaign messaging.
- "All partisan races are referendums on Trump and his policies," Brian Smith, a political scientist at St. Edward's University in Austin, tells Axios. "This is why Abbott is distancing himself somewhat. An unpopular president, who is governing during a time of high inflation and gas prices, will help Democrats nationwide."
The bottom line: Abbott's lead "is much safer than other Republicans, but he can still lose," Smith says.