Dem Down: Abbott leads O’Rourke in Texas governor's race by 7 points, poll show

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is leading Robert “Beto” O’Rourke by seven percentage points in the race for governor, according to a new Dallas Morning News poll.

The poll was conducted in the first week of August by the University of Texas-Tyler and Dallas Morning News. It found that 85% of Republicans said they’d vote for Abbott; 81% of Democrats said they’d vote for O’Rourke.

The poll results show a slight decrease in Abbott's lead from a late June-early July Dallas Morning News poll that had Abbott at 51% and O’Rourke at 41%.

Prospective voters were asked in the August poll if they would “vote for Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke, Green Party nominee Delilah Barrios, Libertarian nominee Mark Tippetts or someone else;” 46% said they’d vote for Abbott, 39% for O’Rourke.

A July University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll had Abbott leading 49% to O’Rourke’s 44%. A July CBS poll also had Abbott leading O’Rourke, 49% to 41%.

A RealClear Politics polling average has Abbott holding a 6.8% lead over O’Rourke.

Abbott is seeking his third term as the Republican governor of Texas. O’Rourke, the former Democratic congressman from El Paso, is attempting to run for another statewide office after unsuccessfully trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. He also unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2020 Democratic primary.

According to Transparency USA, Gov. Abbott has $45.9 million cash on hand out of $69.5 million raised. O’Rourke has $23.9 million cash on hand out of $40.7 million raised.

O’Rourke is currently traveling 5,600 miles across the state, making 70 appearances in more than 65 counties over 49 days.

Abbott’s first television ad aired this week and gives a glimpse into his personal life, his marriage, and how he overcame the accident that put him in a wheelchair.

Nexstar Media Group will host the only gubernatorial debate on Sept. 30 for one hour. It will be held at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley Edinburg campus and be moderated by KXAN Austin’s Britt Moreno. A panel of journalists, including KXAN Austin’s Sally Hernandez, Dallas Morning News’ Gromer Jeffers, and KSAT San Antonio’s Steve Spriester, will ask questions of the candidates.

The debate will be live and viewable in every media market, and on Spanish language stations, statewide.

The election is Nov. 8.