Texas Governor Greg Abbott is planning to skip a political rally in San Antonio headlined by President Donald Trump, declining a chance to appear with the country’s highest-profile Republican as his reelection bid faces a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
Abbott, a longtime Trump ally and GOP stalwart, will instead hold campaign events in Jasper, a city of about 7,500 near the Louisiana border, and College Station, where he will appear at a barbecue described by its organizers as having a maximum capacity of 250. The barbecue will start around the same time as the Trump rally.
“I already have events scheduled that day and will not be able to make it,” Abbott told reporters Monday.
Texas, which hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in more than three decades, is home this year to two big races coming down to the wire. In addition to the Abbott-Hinojosa clash, Trump’s chosen US Senate candidate, Republican Ken Paxton, is polling behind Democrat James Talarico.
While Trump easily won Texas in his three presidential campaigns, he now holds a negative approval rating in the state, with voters angry over the cost of living and the war with Iran. In a Truth Social post Tuesday, the president defended his recent political events in traditionally safe GOP states such as Oklahoma and Alabama.
“My rallies are saving the Republican Party, again!” he wrote.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s San Antonio event will be his third trip to Texas in a month. He visited a Peterbilt Motors factory in Denton last week to tout his economic agenda and reiterate his support for Paxton.
“Texas represents so much,” Trump said. “We need Ken so badly, and that’s why I’m here.”
The president also spoke on both nights of the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas last month. While the event was intended to galvanize GOP voters ahead of November, some Republicans in close races skipped it. Paxton, the Texas attorney general, privately complained that the convention hurt his poll numbers, the New York Times reported.
Talarico, a state representative, led Paxton 51% to 45% in a recent poll by the Times and Siena University.
Abbott has missed some of Trump’s previous visits to Texas. He didn’t attend a 2022 rally Trump held near Corpus Christi, citing a previously scheduled fundraising trip to Florida. Nor did the governor attend Trump’s first rally of the 2024 presidential campaign, which was held in Waco, Texas.
At the time, Trump faced challenges from former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Texas Republicans were split on whether Trump should run for president again, although he went on to win the state by almost 14 points.
Abbott is still favored to prevail in his bid for a fourth term as governor, according to the Cook Political Report, but the polls are close. Hinojosa has hammered Abbott over the state’s approach to the data center buildout and public school finance.
As Hinojosa has pulled to within single digits in polling and even led in some recent surveys, the governor has ramped up advertising. He still holds a significant cash advantage over Hinojosa, a state representative who came into the race with low name recognition and limited campaign funds.
He expressed hope that Trump’s visit will help fire up loyal GOP voters.
“He does a good job of getting the base organized and turning out,” Abbott said.