Texas labor unions continued to strongly support Republican incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, as the Teamsters officially backed his reelection bid.
Teamsters Joint Council 58 and Joint Council 80, which represent 40,000 rank-and-file Teamsters across Texas, endorsed Abbott on Thursday, Feb. 5.
“Governor Abbott has kept an open door to the Teamsters Union during his tenure and has been willing and eager to partner with us on job creation and workplace protections. As our union has shown on a national level, the Teamsters care less about political affiliation and more about protecting good-paying union jobs,” said Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer of Joint Council 80 and International Vice President for the Southern Region.
The labor union noted that their support was a result of Abbott giving unions a seat at the table to work with them to bring more jobs to Texas.
They also contended that Abbott has worked aggressively with them on priority issues, such as investing in apprenticeship and job training programs, expanding film tax credits, and addressing the threat of autonomous vehicles.
Gina Hinojosa on CNN speaking of blue wave
This week, leading Democratic candidate for Texas governor Gina Hinojosa took her message of a blue wave to CNN.
“Last week’s win in Tarrant County showed what many of us already know: Texans are ready for change,” Hinojosa wrote in a news release. “It’s happening all across Texas, from big cities to small local races, grassroots organizing and real conversations are driving results. Democrats have been winning since November because Texans are desperate for something better.”
The special election she refers to is when a Democratic candidate won in a deeply red Texas county. Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a historically Republican Texas Senate in District 9, winning 57% of the vote in a major upset.
She cited 2018, when the candidate for Texas governor, Beto O’Rourke, won 64% of the Latino vote.
“When I get 64% of the Latino vote in November, I will win. 2018 was the proof of concept; 2026 is the win,” she said in the news release.
Important dates for 2026 primary election
The voter registration deadline is Feb. 2, and voters must be registered to vote by this date to participate in the primary. Early in-person voting begins Feb. 17 and continues through Feb. 27.
Should a Runoff election be needed, it will take place May 26. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff.
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, by mail or Oct. 19, in person. The absentee ballot return deadline is scheduled for Nov. 3, either by mail or in person on Election Day.
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: Which labor group just endorsed Republican incumbent Greg Abbott?
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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