Greg Abbott
Declared disasters for 59 flooded Texas counties, signed a birth-tourism executive order, and pushed data-center bans — all while seeking a fourth term up six points on Gina Hinojosa.
Greg Abbott declared disasters across 59 Texas counties this week after severe storms and flash flooding killed at least two in the Hill Country, where the Guadalupe River rose past two-story height in five hours and forced more than 200 helicopter and boat rescues. FEMA deployed urban search-and-rescue task forces to the region.
The same week, Abbott signed a July 16 executive order directing state agencies to investigate and eliminate birth-tourism schemes, with penalties including license revocation. He ordered the health commission to probe Mission Regional Medical Center for advertising birth packages on Mexican billboards and via havemybabyinTEXAS.com starting at $3,950. "American citizenship is not for sale," Abbott said. The order dovetails with Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against a Houston postpartum center and President Trump's Supreme Court rehearing request on birthright citizenship, which cited the Texas reports.
On the economy, Abbott championed Saronic Technologies' $3.2 billion autonomous-shipyard project at the Port of Brownsville, backed by an $80 million state grant, calling it "the most advanced shipyard in the entire world" and a "quintessential America First project" projected to create 10,000 jobs.
His data-center reversal continues to ripple: Abbott now wants to ban AI data centers in rural neighborhoods, strip more than $1 billion in annual sales-tax exemptions, and require facilities to self-fund power and water. County officials and fellow Republicans are pushing back, with some wanting a pause rather than a ban.
Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by roughly six points. His campaign centers on a property-tax-cut plan to end school property taxes for homeowners; Hinojosa attacks him for sitting on a $27 billion rainy-day fund and proposes $1,500 household rebates, which Abbott has not directly addressed.
He must also appoint a successor to Secretary of State Jane Nelson, resigning this summer.
On their plate
Abbott signed a July 16 executive order directing state agencies to investigate and eliminate birth-tourism schemes, with penalties including license revocation and denial of state contracts. He ordered the health commission to probe Mission Regional Medical Center for advertising birth packages via Mexican billboards and havemybabyinTEXAS.com, declaring citizenship is not for sale. The order aligns with AG Paxton's lawsuit and Trump's Supreme Court rehearing request on birthright citizenship.
Abbott reversed course on AI data centers, calling for bans in rural neighborhoods, elimination of tax breaks, and self-funded power and water infrastructure. He directed PUC and ERCOT to make data centers fund their own grid upgrades and backed repealing sales-tax exemptions worth over $1 billion annually. Only 17% of data centers complied with water-use surveys, and county officials plus fellow Republicans are pushing back, some wanting a pause rather than a ban.
Abbott championed Saronic Technologies' $3.2 billion Port Alpha autonomous-shipyard project at the Port of Brownsville, backed by an $80 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant, calling it the most advanced shipyard in the world and a quintessential America First project expected to create 10,000 jobs. He also touted Toyota's $3.6 billion San Antonio Tacoma expansion backed by a $20 million state grant.
Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa by roughly six points ahead of November's election. His campaign centers on a property-tax-cut plan to end school property taxes for homeowners. Hinojosa attacks him for sitting on a $27 billion rainy-day fund and proposes $1,500 household rebates, which Abbott has not directly addressed. He must also appoint a successor to Secretary of State Jane Nelson, resigning this summer amid unresolved closed-primary fights.
Key relationships
Abbott dealt directly with the Saronic Technologies CEO to announce the $3.2 billion Port Alpha autonomous-shipyard project at the Port of Brownsville, backing it with an $80 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant.
Hinojosa is attacking Abbott for sitting on a $27 billion rainy-day fund while proposing $1,500 household rebates. Abbott has not directly engaged her rebate proposal; his property-tax-cut plan to end school property taxes for homeowners is his standing campaign alternative, and he leads her by roughly six points.
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