Texas Poll: Beto O'Rourke Trails Gov. Greg Abbott by Five Points in General Election

In the most recent hypothetical gubernatorial poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) holds a five-point lead over Democrat Beto O’Rourke.

In the hypothetical poll, with four candidates expected to be on the general election ballot in November, Abbott holds a five-point lead over O’Rourke, who has two failed campaign attempts — losing against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018 and a failed presidential bid in 2020.

Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they would vote for Abbott as the Republican candidate in the election, five points ahead of the 43 percent who said they would vote for O’Rourke, the Democrat candidate.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, shakes a National Guard member’s hand after speaking during a news conference along the Rio Grande, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Mark Jay Tippetts, running as the Libertarian candidate, received two percent of the vote, and Delilah Barrios, running as the Green candidate, received one percent of the vote in the hypothetical matchup. There was also six percent who said they “don’t know” or “unsure.”

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks after former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke endorsed him at a campaign rally Monday, March 2, 2020 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Abbott has the most significant support from independent voters. Forty-five percent of the independent voters said they would vote for Abbott, while only 17 percent said O’Rourke, seven percent said Tippetts, and three percent said Barrios. There was also 28 percent of the independent voters who said they “don’t know” or “unsure.”

Last week during a news conference O’Rourke, who is currently trailing in the polls, explained that he wants President Joe Biden and any other politician from Washington, DC, to stay away from his campaign for governor.

“I’m not interested in any national politician — anyone outside of Texas — coming into this state to help decide the outcome of this,” O’Rourke said, noting that he wants to only “work with” and “listen to” people from the Lone Star State.

Biden, who has now been in office for over a year, has been plagued with bad poll numbers after dealing with the consequences of poor decision-making during his presidency, such as a supply chain crisis, record-high inflation, and the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.

The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston conducted its survey between January 14 to 24. There were 1,400 respondents from YouGov, a market research company, who were registered to vote in Texas, surveyed to find the preferences and opinions around the 2022 primary candidates and policy issues. The margin or error was plus or minus 2.2 percent.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.

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