MAGA governor taunted as Fox News poll paints dire midterm picture

A recent Fox News poll showed Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa within the margin of error of defeating Gov. Greg Abbott, and critics wasted little time taunting the MAGA governor over his potential election loss.

Despite President Donald Trump winning Texas in 2024 by close to 14 percentage points, Abbott – a fierce Trump ally – is favored to win his re-election bid by just 1 percentage point over his Democratic opponent, well within the margin of error. Conducted between July 23-27, the poll also found that Texas voters indicated they were “falling behind financially” by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

Sara McGee, the Democratic nominee for Texas’ 132nd Congressional District, predicted the new polling data would force Abbott’s hand in adjusting his campaign strategy over the next 95 days.

“Republicans will say this poll is fake only for Greg Abbott to turn around and flip on data centers, and then roll out a ‘healthcare plan’ after refusing federal Medicaid expansion dollars for the last 12 years,” McGee wrote Friday in a social media post on X. “He’s seen the numbers. November is coming.”

In 2024, Trump performed strongly with several key demographics in Texas, securing more support from independent and Hispanic voters than his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris. According to the new poll, however, Hinojosa leads Abbott with both groups by 27 and 16 points, respectively.

Abbott has served as governor since 2015 and is seeking a fourth term that would make him the longest-serving governor in Texas history. He enters the race with a massive financial edge, reporting nearly $90 million in campaign cash on hand.

He’s also demonstrated a strong loyalty to Trump, calling a special session last year at Trump’s request to help enact the White House’s nationwide redistricting push to update congressional district maps in a manner more favorable to Republicans for the midterms.