AUSTIN, Texas — We are less than one month out from Election Day and the battle between Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke is in overdrive.
Gov. Abbott maintains a single-digit lead in all recent public polling. But both Abbott and O'Rourke are spending big and using these last few weeks to convince voters they're the man for the job.
In a one-on-one interview on Capital Tonight on Monday, Gov. Abbott was asked about his migrant busing program and whether he would give the Democrat-led cities he’s sending them to a heads-up in the future.
“It sure seems to me that there are people on the ground who are aware when those buses arrive,” Abbott said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently declared a state of emergency over the influx of migrants to his city. Abbott said the busing would continue and encouraged governors in other states to help move more migrants.
“Sure, we would be more than happy to have other governors in other states help us move the incredible number of illegal immigrants that the Biden administration is dumping off in small communities on our border and move them to other locations across the country that self-identify as sanctuary cities,” he said in response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis taking migrants from Texas and flying them to Martha’s Vineyard.
On abortion, Abbott would not answer whether he would sign a bill next legislative session that makes exceptions for rape and incest. Some Republican lawmakers have recently said the law should make those exceptions.
But Abbott did say lawmakers need to clarify what it means to protect the life of the mother.
“There are doctors who are misinterpreting the laws that exist in a way that compromises the safety and life of a mother. We have to be clear in this upcoming session what it means to protect the life of the mother,” he said.
Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Gov. Abbott, including whether he regrets saying “it coulda been worse” following the Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.