Texas showdown: Beto O’Rourke to hold 70 campaign events in 49 days as he challenges GOP Gov. Greg Abbott

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Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke next week will launch an ambitious 49-day campaign swing across Texas as he challenges two-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

O’Rourke, a former congressman from El Paso, Texas who came close to ousting GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 Senate election before unsuccessfully running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, on Monday announced that he’ll hold 70 public events in more than 65 counties as part of his seven-week tour. 

The O’Rourke campaign says the trip will start on July 19 in El Paso and hit every region of the state, including some small towns that rarely see major political events. And O’Rourke will make more than a dozen stops in South Texas, a region where Republicans have made gains in recent years with the large population of Spanish-speaking voters.

"We are going to bring people together in every part of this state to overcome Abbott’s extremism, incompetence, cruelty and corruption, and focus on the big things that unite us: great jobs, world-class schools, the ability to see a doctor and lowering costs so every Texan can live to their full potential," O’Rourke charged in a statement. 

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Texas Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks at a primary election gathering in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, March 1, 2022.  (AP Photo/LM Otero)

O’Rourke is no stranger to barnstorming across the Lone Star State. During his 2018 Senate bid, he stopped in each of the state’s 254 counties. And O’Rourke’s pledged a repeat performance as he runs this year for governor.

Abbott spent plenty of time on the campaign trail ahead of the state’s early March primary, as the governor easily dispatched a handful of far-right primary challengers. 

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"The governor is continuing to run the state, the economic engine that is running the country, and aggressively campaign for reelection," Abbott campaign communications director Mark Miner told Fox News.

The governor holds a mid to upper single digit lead over O’Rourke in the most recent public opinion polls in the Texas gubernatorial showdown.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, with his wife Cecilia, right, and daughter Audrey, left, arrives for a primary election night event, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Corpus Christi, Texas.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Abbott’s also the clear fundraising leader in the race, and late last month his campaign announced they would spend an initial $20 million to run ads in the general election, showcasing their financial advantage over O’Rourke.

The last Democrat to win a gubernatorial election in Texas was Ann Richards in 1990.