WASHINGTON — The State of the State address in Texas took place the same week former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched her bid to be the Republican nominee for president.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is another name that has been floated for 2024. Given that former Texas governors George W. Bush and Rick Perry ran for president, there is speculation about Gov. Greg Abbott throwing his hat in the ring.
“Total chaos has been created by the Biden administration," Abbott said to supporters in Harris County when he was running for re-election.
Abbott has bashed President Joe Biden so much, some wonder, does the Texas governor think he could do a better job as commander-in-chief?
“Gov. Abbott can definitely be a viable candidate, he can raise a lot of money to compete,” Brendan Steinhauser, chief strategy officer for Young Americans for Liberty, told Spectrum News. “He can compete nationwide, I think the thing he's going to have to do this legislative session is really tackle some big bold issues, and excite the base, kind of the grassroots of the party to say, ‘I can be the person to carry the torch for liberty for you.’”
The Republican primary race for president is shaping up, and eyes are on Abbott's potential White House ambitions. He soundly defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke to secure his third term in office and has emerged as a national voice on border politics.
Jim Henson, executive director at the Texas Political Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said while most Republicans across the country use the Biden administration as a foil to their policies, Abbott has an advantage representing the biggest of the border states.
“Immigration and border security are very salient issues to Republican voters, not only in Texas, but throughout the country. He naturally has the opportunity to gain some national attention, and then he's exploited those opportunities. There's no two doubts about it,” Henson said. “I think I wouldn't be too fast to say that that is primarily aimed at a national audience.”
One of Abbott’s longtime political advisers, David Carney, told Capital Tonight that the governor is “100% focused on the legislative session.”
“Gov. Abbott's not done anything to discourage this, and I think that makes political sense for him, whether he's going to run or not, having your name discussed in those circles, certainly elevates you,” Henson said. “If people have the sense that you are going to become a national figure, it enhances your stature and it also plays into people's political calculations."
Abbott isn’t the only current governor of a Republican megastate trying to grab the attention of conservative America and antagonize the Biden administration. In Florida, DeSantis is seen as a potential contender for 2024, and his legislative session this year may rival the one in Texas when it comes to pushing a hard-right agenda.
Steinhauser pointed out, for example, how Florida Republicans introduced a bill this year to allow the permitless carry of guns after the Texas Legislature passed the policy last session.
“As Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes for universal school choice in Florida, as he is now, does Abbott also do the same to kind of make sure he's competing on that that level playing ground, as well?” Steinhauser said. “That's really an important element to watch those two governors as they kind of gear up for potential summer announcement.”
If he does not vie for the White House, Abbott could run again for governor of Texas. Some Republican strategists suggest he could get a cabinet-level position, similar to how Perry became energy secretary. We will see what happens when the legislative session is over.