TEXAS — The latest poll from the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler was released Monday, and the results show Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke may have his work cut out for him.


What You Need To Know

  • The latest poll from the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler puts Gov. Greg Abbott 9 points ahead of Beto O’Rourke

  • The poll additionally shows Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton leading their Democratic challengers

  • Participants also answered questions about the Texas power grid, abortion and gun violence, among other topics

  • The poll involved a random sampling of 1,268 registered Texas voters, was conducted Sept. 6 through Sept. 13 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8

The poll puts incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott 9 points ahead of the former congressman, 47% to 38%.

The Green Party and Libertarian candidates are polling below 5%, and 6% of respondents indicated “someone else.”

A recent poll from the UT/Texas Politics Project only had Abbott leading O’Rourke by 5 points.

For the other big races in Texas, Republicans maintain an edge as well. The poll has incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick leading Democratic challenger Mike Collier by 11 points. Collier in 2018 came within 5 points of unseating Patrick.

Despite the legal issues that continue to dog him, the new poll has Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of Democratic challenger Rochelle Garza by 7 points.

The wide-ranging poll also addresses the issues important to Texas voters. When it comes to the Texas power grid, 14% of respondents said they have a great deal of confidence we won’t see again widespread blackouts such as the one that hit the state during the winter storm of 2021. Fourteen percent said they have a fair amount of confidence.

A total 34% of respondents said they support school choice, which permits state funding to be shifted to private schools.

On the topic of discussing racism and other issues of discrimination in the classroom, 36% of respondents said they strongly agree that Texas teachers should be permitted to broach those topics.

On the topic of gun violence, 32% of respondents said they are very concerned about the possibility of shootings in their communities. Eleven percent said they strongly agree that our elected officials are doing enough to prevent mass shootings such as the one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Thirty-five percent said they strongly disagree. A total 50% of respondents said they favor by a great deal an increase for the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21.

When it comes to abortion, 30% of respondents said they strongly approve of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow the states to set abortion policy. A total 36% said abortion should be illegal in most cases, 28% said abortion should be legal in most cases and 22% said it should be legal in all cases.

The poll involved a random sampling of 1,268 registered Texas voters, was conducted Sept. 6 through Sept. 13 and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8.