The 2022 election is more than 19 months away, but some politics watchers like Gromer Jeffers of The Dallas Morning News are already looking into who may run against Greg Abbott in the governor’s race.
Jeffers says former congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is the likeliest and most suitable Democratic challenger. But it’s not clear yet whether O’Rourke plans to run.
“If not Beto, what will they do, or who will run against Abbott?” Jeffers told Texas Standard.
By this point in 2017, O’Rourke had already decided to run for Senate in 2018. But this time, Jeffers says he only appears to be “mulling” a bid.
And O’Rourke might be more suited to helping another candidate win, rather than running himself, Jeffers says.
“Bringing his organizational talents and his skill … that may be his role in the race for governor – not as a candidate, but in helping Democrats and helping the eventual candidate,” Jeffers said.
Other suitable candidates, he says, would be the Castro brothers. But neither Julián, who recently ran for president, nor Joaquin who is a congressman, seem likely to get into the race.
Jeffers says a “lightning in a bottle” candidate could emerge. He or she would need to do so sometime this year. The filing deadline for the 2022 primaries is in December.
