Gov. Greg Abbott took to the stage on the last night of the 2026 GOP Midterm Convention in Dallas to defend his record as governor.
The two-day event from Sept. 9-10 even included a keynote from President Trump, where he doubled down on recent policies and the renaming of geological landmarks amid controversy.
Abbott framed the November general election as a choice between "common sense and crazy," expressing confidence that Republicans would win by delivering safe communities and secure borders.
During the speech, which lasted slightly over 10 minutes, Abbott criticized U.S. immigration policies and touted Texas' self-funded initiatives, including the construction of 100 miles of state border wall.
Abbott's Operation Lone Star campaign has cost
Texas taxpayer $11 billion since March 2021, according the Office of the Governor.
Abbott also underscored that he is vowing to "fully ban Sharia law" in Texas. He additionally highlighted his executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a terrorist organization, while also noting state laws that ban China, Russia and Iran from buying Texas land.
He again touted the state property tax plan to aid in affordability concerns in the election.
Abbott claimed that Democrats are "gaslighting the public on affordability."
Finally, he noted Texas laws that penalize cities attempting to reduce police funding, defended stricter voter ID requirements and praised the passage of the state's private school voucher program.
While on the topic of children and education policy, he targeted LGBTQ+ policy issues, blasting Texas Democrats for past votes concerning transgender children and framing his own legislation as a necessary defense of parental rights.
Gina Hinojosa says Abbott 'defies common sense'
The Democratic candidate for Texas governor offered her rebuttal to Abbott's speech calling it "more of the same."
Speaking to reporters in Dallas, Hinojosa stated that everyday Texans across party lines are looking for change. She argued that if the Republican midterm convention is just about "more of the same of the culture wars," then it "might as well not be happening."
"In his speech, Abbott made no mention of rising health care costs, utility rates, or the fact that the American Dream is out of reach for too many Texans after 12 years of his failed leadership. The speech was just like Abbott: hypocritical, boring, and stuck in the past — 2026 will be his last year in office," she said in statement following the speech.
In a coordinated release alongside the Texas Democratic Party, her camp released a statement arguing that "what defies common sense" is that Abbott's speech did not offer a single new idea to address the actual hardships Texans are facing.
She took aim at Abbott's 30-year record in public office, claiming his policies have driven up costs for working families while prioritizing his billionaire donors — specifically pointing to his push for private school vouchers and generous tax giveaways to data center corporations.
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Abbott defends Texas record, Hinojosa says governor 'stuck in the past'
