AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas voters weighed in recently about Gov. Greg Abbott potentially squaring off next year against actor Matthew McConaughey and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke in the highly-anticipated governor’s race.
The latest polling from Quinnipiac University found that voters are split on whether Abbott should get another term as governor. After polling 1,099 registered voters in Texas, the results showed 48% said he does not deserve to be re-elected, while 46% said he does. The polling period happened between June 15 and June 21.
The partisan breakdown revealed that Abbott remains in good standing with the state’s Republicans — 82% say he deserves re-election. However, 50% of independents and 88% of Democrats told pollsters Abbott does not deserve another term.
When it came to potential challengers in the Texas gubernatorial race, McConaughey fared better with voters than O’Rourke did. The poll results showed 41% of voters would like the Oscar-winning actor, whose political party affiliation remains unknown, to run, while 47% said he should stay out of the race.
The polling further showed 47% of independents would like McConaughey to run, while 44% of Democrats did. Meanwhile, 60% of Republicans said they’re against the prospect of him jumping into the political fray.
More Texans opposed the idea of O’Rourke, the well-known El Paso Democrat, running for governor next year, according to the poll. By a margin of 52-41%, voters told pollsters they would not like the former presidential candidate to get into the race.
Democrats, however, overwhelmingly supported the idea — 77% saying they’d like to see O’Rourke run. Half of the independents and 89% of the Republicans polled said they do not want him to seek the top elected office in Texas.
The margin of error in the polling was about three percentage points, according to Quinnipiac University.
Border wall
Pollsters also asked voters whether they supported Gov. Abbott’s proposal for the state to pay for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The poll found 50% of voters overall supported the border wall, and 46% opposed it.
By a margin of 89-8%, Republicans overwhelmingly expressed support for the project. Meanwhile, 46% of independents and only 14% of Democrats backed the idea, the poll found.
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