Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced his campaign for governor last week, and Sunday, he held a rally and took pictures with supporters at Fair Park. O'Rourke was the sixth Democrat to announce his candidacy.
"I am here because you inspire me," O'Rourke told the crowd.
O'Rourke said he would work to weatherize Texas' electric grid, saying he would "guarantee hospitals, water systems and critical infrastructure" were protected.
"Each and every single one of us is going to pay at least 15% more on our utility bills going forward to clean up Greg Abbott's mess," he said. "It's the Abbott tax on Texas."
O'Rourke also said Abbott had "put a price on the head of every woman who wants to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions" by signing abortion limits that are now before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also pledged to repeal permitless carry, saying Texas has had four mass shootings in the past five years.
"Beto O'Rourke just confirmed that he has every intention of confiscating the legally-obtained firearms of every day Texans if he's elected governor. Responsible gun ownership is a long-standing tradition in Texas, and voters will absolutely reject O'Rourke's plans to confiscate their property and infringe on their rights," Republican Governors Association spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez wrote in a statement.
A Dallas Morning News/UT Tyler poll released Sunday showed 49% of Texans "approve" or "strongly approve" of Governor Greg Abbott, compared to 41% who "disapprove" or "strongly disapprove."
The same poll showed 37% view Beto O'Rourke "very" or "somewhat favorably"; 43% viewed him "very" or "somewhat unfavorably."
The poll was conducted before O'Rourke had announced his candidacy and did not include him in comparison against the other five Democrats who had already declared their intent to run.
Among those who said they plan to vote in the Republican primary, 65% said they plan to vote for Greg Abbott. No other Republican received more than 6%: Chad Prather and Allen West both received 6%; Don Huffines received 3% support.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD