Governor Greg Abbott won't be joiningPresident Donald Trump when he travels to Texas to rally for Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Abbott's campaign confirmed the governor will not attend the "Midterm Rally" in San Antonio on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Campaign staff pointed USA TODAY to comments Abbott made during a roundtable in Houston when asked about Trump's visit.
"When the President shows up, it creates excitement among the base. He does a good job of organizing the base and turning people out," Abbott said. "Because of my schedule, where I travel to multiple cities a day for events like this, I already have events scheduled that day and will not be able to make it."
USA TODAY asked Abbott's campaign to clarify which events the governor is scheduled
to attend Wednesday while Trump is in the Lone Star State. The campaign said the governor's office and campaign will issue media advisories with more information about Abbott's scheduled events.
Trump's appearance comes as Republicans ramp up campaigning in Texas ahead of the midterm elections, with Paxton facing Democrat James Talarico in the race for U.S. Senate.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gov. Abbott won't attend Trump Texas rally for Ken Paxton. Here's why
