2022 Texas Governor Voters Guide

Greg Abbott (R) vs Beto O’Rourke (D)

Governor | Election | Nov 8, 2022

The Candidates

Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott

Republican

Incumbent
Beto O'Rourke

Beto O’Rourke

Democrat

The Issues

Abortion

Ban or legal?

Greg Abbott (R)

Ban. Signed a law that bans abortions once a heartbeat is detected (typically around 6 weeks), does not allow exemptions for rape or incest, and allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman get an abortion.

Energy Grid

Is Texas energy grid being improved enough after 2021 failures?

Health Care

Increase government role in health care, such as expanding Medicaid, limiting drug prices, or promoting COVID safety?

Immigration

How to handle immigration? Support a path to citizenship for “DACA” participants brought to the US as children?

Greg Abbott (R)

Created Operation Lone Star, sending state troopers and National Guard to patrol the border, spending $3 billion on border security. Signed “sanctuary cities” bill, penalizing cities and punishing local law enforcement who don’t comply with federal immigration law. No recent DACA; seeks to challenge the Supreme Court decision compelling states to give free public education to undocumented children.

Labor

Make it easier or harder for unions to organize?

Greg Abbott (R)

Harder. Sees workers as facing “union coercion.” Supported legislation ending automatic deduction of union dues for government employees. As attorney general, supported Texas’s “right-to-work” status, where employees in a unionized workplace do not have to pay union dues.

Marijuana

Should recreational marijuana be banned or legal?

Beto O'Rourke (D)

Legal. Legalize marijuana and expunge records of those arrested for possession; use savings to invest in public schools and teacher salaries.

Minimum Wage

Keep or raise the state minimum wage from $7.25? If raise, how much?

Greg Abbott (R)

Keep. Abbott spokeswoman: “$15 minimum wage would put a boot on the neck of small businesses.“ In 2015 called a plan to raise the wage to $10 a “job killer.”

Beto O'Rourke (D)

Raise; amount unclear. “The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour—not enough to pay rent, put food on the table, or take care of your kids, without working a second or third job.”

Police and Community

How to address police use of force?

Beto O'Rourke (D)

Support good police officers and protect the public by holding bad officers accountable. We shouldn’t have to bargain for police accountability, it should be guaranteed.”

Student Financial Aid

Support lowering interest on student loans or forgiving them?

Taxes

Should corporations and wealthier individuals pay less or more taxes?

Voting Rules

Support tightened restrictions on such voting rules as absentee and early voting, and voter ID?

Beto O'Rourke (D)

Looser. “Will pass online and same-day voter registration, expand eligible forms of voter ID, reduce obstacles to voting by mail, expand access to polling sites, and establish nonpartisan redistricting commissions.”

Share the 2022 Texas Governor Voters Guide

We only include candidates polling 15% or more. But check out others, including Delilah Barrios (G), Deirdre Dickson-Gilbert (I), and Mark Tippetts (L).

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