NEW POLL: Beto O’Rourke Within Striking Distance of Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Former Congressman and close-but-no-cigar Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke is within striking distance of incumbent Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a new poll sure to tantalize Democrats.

Democrats have been wishfully thinking about flipping Texas blue for longer ‘n horns on a Longhorn steer, dadgummit, and they’re not about to give up now, when they’re almost there!

Respondents to a poll released by Climate Nexus this week were asked “If the election for Texas governor were being held today, and the candidates were Beto O’Rourke the Democrat and Greg Abbott the Republican, for whom would you vote?”

Gov. Abbott failed to gain a majority against O’Rourke, with only 45 percent of respondents saying they would vote to reelect the incumbent. And while Abbott has been leading the former congressman by double-digits in every poll, O’Rourke received 40 percent support in this poll — within 5 points of Abbott in a poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

It’s just one poll, and the poll question sat in the back end of a survey that was otherwise about the subject of energy and climate change, but it is a bright spot compared to previous polls. Abbott still leads his primary opponents by several country miles, and averages about a 10-point lead over O’Rourke.

And this relatively close result comes days after another poll that showed a different sign of weakness for Abbott in his home state.

In a new CWS Research poll, Republicans and independents likely to vote in the GOP primary were asked “Thinking about the next presidential election in 2024, if Donald Trump decides not to run, who would you support for president?”

That’s a lot of “ifs,” but in that scenario, DeSantis trounced Abbott and more than tripled his support. A whopping 46 percent said they’d vote DeSantis versus only 13 percent for Abbott, with 18 percent saying they’d vote for someone else and the rest unsure.

None of which is to say that O’Rourke should start measuring drapes or window-chaps or whatever they use in Texas, but it’s food for thought for longsuffering Texas Democrats. As if they needed any encouragement anyway.