HOUSTON — With less than 100 days until the November General Election, arguably the biggest race in Texas is heating up.
The battle to be governor is close and there are some key issues that could help both sides. As the days wind down to Nov. 8, the passion of each candidate's supporters is still at a fever pitch.
Brandon Rottinghaus is a political science professor at the University of Houston. A UH poll taken last month showed Democrat Beto O’Rourke trailing incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott by five points among likely voters.
Top issues
Rottinghaus said he thinks inflation and immigration, specifically border security, are two of the top issues.
On Monday, Abbott invited the mayors of Washington D.C. and New York to the Texas-Mexico border to see what he called a "humanitarian and security crisis."
Rottinghaus also said abortion, the power grid and gun control are all issues Democrats could use to draw independent voters to close the gap.
“This is gonna be a war of messaging. Whoever can determine what the agenda should be is going to be the winner," he said.
Delivering the message
Rottinghaus said there’s a big difference in how each candidate gets that message to voters.
Abbott is hitting the airwaves while O'Rourke is hitting the road. The challenger is currently in the middle of a 49-day, 5,600-mile statewide tour.
Rottinghaus said there's another big thing making those strategies possible
“It’s gonna be the battle of the bank accounts,” he said.
Both candidates' spending shows no signs of stopping for the next 99 days.