Abbott leads O'Rourke by 8 points in Texas gubernatorial race: poll

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is leading Democrat challenger Beto O'Rourke by eight points, according to a joint poll released Tuesday by Emerson College Polling/The Hill.

The survey found that 50% of voters support Abbott, while 42% support O'Rourke. Undecided voters made up 5%, while 2% of voters said they support Libertarian Mark Tippetts. 

The prior poll by Emerson College/The Hill on the race was released in February, before the March primary, and showed Abbott leading at 52% to O'Rourke's 45%, suggesting little change in voter sentiment. 

Sixty-three percent of those survey expect Abbott to win reelection, with 37% believing O'Rourke will win. The poll found that 55% of voters have a favorable view of Abbott, while 43% have a negative view. Meanwhile, 44% have a favorable view of O'Rourke, compared to 52% who view him negatively. 

The economy was the top issue for 40% of the Texas voters surveyed, compared to 16% saying that abortion access was their top issue. Immigration was the most important issue for 12% of voters, whereas healthcare was 8%. 

The survey was conducted from Sept. 20-22 among 1,000 likely voters. The margin of error was 3.02 percentage points. 

According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Abbott is ahead of O'Rourke by eight points.