Texas Governor Greg Abbott will not appear alongside President Trump at a campaign rally in San Antonio this week, a notable absence as the Republican incumbent faces a surprisingly competitive reelection fight less than a month before the midterms.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Texas on Wednesday to stump for state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is locked in a tight Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. GOP House candidate Carlos De La Cruz, running in a district that includes parts of San Antonio, is also expected to attend the event.
Abbott's campaign confirmed the governor's plans to skip the rally, pointing to his comments at a Monday roundtable with law enforcement in Houston. Asked about the event, Abbott said his schedule was already full.
“Because of the schedule that I run, where I go to multiple cities a day doing events like this, I already have events like this scheduled that day and I will not be able to make it,” Abbott told reporters.
The governor was quick to praise Trump's ability to energize the Republican base, saying, “He does a good job of getting the base organized and turning out.”
The San Antonio stop marks Trump's third visit to Texas in under a month, underscoring the state's importance in the GOP's efforts to hold onto Congress this fall. Several Republican candidates in battleground states have sought to keep some distance from the president amid voter concerns about inflation and ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran.
Abbott's relationship with Trump has been warm, however. Last month, he praised the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration during a speech at the state GOP convention in Dallas, which Trump and Vice President Vance also attended. “I want you to know this much: We are very proud to have President Donald J. Trump here in Dallas, Texas,” Abbott told the crowd.
The governor's decision to skip the rally comes as new polling shows a tighter race than expected. A New York Times/Siena College poll from last month gave Democrat Gina Hinojosa a four-point lead over Abbott, while a Fox News poll from the same period showed Abbott up by five points among registered voters.
When asked about those numbers on Monday, Abbott dismissed the surveys, saying, “Listen, one thing I have is internal data, and I feel very comfortable about where I am.”
Abbott's absence from the rally is a notable shift for a governor who has generally embraced Trump's support, but it may reflect a careful calculation as he seeks to appeal to a broader electorate in a state that has become increasingly competitive.
