Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) announced on Sunday in San Antonio that he will run for governor of his state. Abbott, a conservative, hopes to succeed Gov. Rick Perry (R) who earlier announced that he will not seek a fourth term.
Prior to serving as attorney general, Abbott was a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, having been appointed by former Texas governor and President George W. Bush.
“When it comes to our freedom and our future, I will never – I will never stop fighting,” Abbott said during his announcement of his candidacy.
LifeNews reports that, at the age of 26, Abbott was struck by a falling tree as he was jogging and suffered a back injury. Consequently, he has used a wheelchair ever since and has become an advocate for both the disabled and the unborn.
Speaking at the National Right to Life convention in June, Abbott referenced his accident.
“As I laid there motionless on the ground, gripped with pain, as helpless as a child in the womb, I knew my life had changed forever,” he said. “Some people think it’s easy to write off the lives of the disabled or the different. But every day, God reminds us that all life has value, no matter the form.”
Abbott’s announcement comes as no surprise to many in Texas, since, according to Kwtx.com, the attorney general has already raised nearly $23 million for the race.
The only other announced candidate from either party is former state GOP chairman Tom Pauken.
CNN reports that, as Texas attorney general, Abbott has sued the Obama administration more than 25 times, including the case that led to the landmark Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare last year.
Regarding the announcement, Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), who is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said, “Greg Abbott’s entry into the governor’s race gives Texans a strong candidate who will continue Governor Rick Perry’s legacy of pro-jobs policies and successful conservative leadership.”
“As an avid defender of state sovereignty, Greg has amassed an unprecedented record for preserving individual rights and stopping federal overreach,” Jindal said.
Democrats countered that Abbott is an out-of-touch conservative extremist.
“Greg Abbott’s entrance into the race for Governor in Texas is another step backward for a national Republican Party trying to gain relevance outside of its narrow, right-wing base,” the Democratic National Committee stated.
Democrats, however, have not yet put up a candidate for an office Texans have shut them out of for nearly 20 years. The last Democrat Texas governor was Ann Richards, who left office in 1995.
During the abortion bill debate, some Democrats seemed to have glimmers of hope when state Sen. Wendy Davis filibustered the bill. Though the bill was passed in both chambers of the state legislature, Davis drew attention as an abortion advocate and potential gubernatorial candidate.
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