Donald Trump Rallies for Ken Paxton as Greg Abbott Skips Event

President Donald Trump held a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio on October 7 to support Republican candidates, including U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton and congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz. This visit marked Trump's third trip to Texas in less than a month, part of a strategy to energize the GOP base and target Hispanic voters in competitive House districts. During the event, Trump praised Paxton as "the greatest attorney general in the United States of America."

Governor Greg Abbott declined to attend the rally, citing scheduling conflicts. Instead, Abbott held separate campaign events in Jasper and College Station. The decision comes as Abbott faces an unexpectedly competitive gubernatorial race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Recent polling shows Hinojosa leading Abbott 49% to 46% in one survey, marking the first time Abbott has trailed in any of his four gubernatorial campaigns.

Financial filings reveal a stark contrast in campaign strategies. Abbott spent $141 million this year, reducing a significant cash advantage to between $17 million and $18.2 million. Hinojosa has run a smaller, people-powered campaign funded largely by small-dollar donations, spending between $12.1 million and $17 million. While Abbott's campaign dismissed the polls as "bogus," Hinojosa has focused her platform on affordability and the expansion of AI data centers.

The San Antonio rally drew both supporters and protesters, with the latter citing high living costs and ICE enforcement. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones requested a meeting with Trump to discuss the city's affordability crisis.