Will TX GOV be more competitive than we think? (user search)

It's certainly possible, however, the trend that occurred in 2016, I think, was partially due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the election. Yes, Texas is certainly trending towards the left, but I don't think it's as hard to the left as some have stated. There is still an obvious majority of Republican-leaning voters, and being on the ground here in Texas and living in an area that is trending D harder than the rest of the state, I can still say the majority of the people I know (of many different political backgrounds) seem to support Abbott, and it seems that the GOP is still alive and well and no "funeral" is needed. However, this is anecdotal.

Texas is not as competitive as, say, Florida, so writing off the Texas GOP and declaring its death when Trump still had a nine point lead in 2016 seems a bit much, as nine points is not "close" by many standards. I once read in a FiveThirtyEight article that, for a candidate or party to win Texas, they need to win two of three things: the rural areas, the suburbs, and the city. Unlike suburbs in the Northeast and other areas (where most suburban moms went for Clinton), the GOP still seems to have a bit of a lock on the suburbs. Although, time will tell what happens to this come 2018. My C-TX avatar is just that: I'm actually from Texas, and from what I see day-to-day, it dosen't seem that the Republican Party is crumbling at the rate that some are proclaiming.

Another factor is that Abbott himself may not be affected by Trump himself as much as, well, Trump. Abbott certainly does not use the same campaign style and, while having the Republican label under his name, may not suffer the same effects as some other R's.

Although, it is still to far out to say.

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