Abbott borders Texas, using television addresses to target crime

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave no indication on whether he might run for president in a rare primetime speech Thursday night but used it to make a case that hard-line immigration measures, harsher criminal penalties and a buzz The economy is a model for the rest of the United States

“We will ensure that Texas remains the leader of this nation as an unbroken force in the world,” Abbott said during his biennial State of the State address, which was broadcast across Texas.

The speech drew applause from inside a Texas factory that Abbott has chosen as the backdrop to build his third-term agenda, but some audiences elsewhere weren’t as enthusiastic.

He made no mention of last year Uvalde school shooting That half-hour speech — which killed 19 children and two teachers — was immediately followed on the Texas airwaves by the parents of the slain Robb Elementary students criticizing him for not supporting stricter gun laws.

Although Abbott used the speech to prioritize school safety for Texas lawmakers to tackle over the next three months, he did not offer any specific proposals and reiterated his general opposition to new restrictions on firearms.

The speech came a day later El Paso mall shooting One person was killed and three others were wounded in a shooting across a large parking lot from Walmart where 23 people were killed In a racist attack in 2019.

“Some want more gun laws,” Abbott said. “But many local officials won’t even enforce gun laws that are already on the books.”

For most governors, the State of the State rarely deviates from pomp and tradition, serving as a highlight reel of past achievements and part unveiling of new priorities. Most are delivered to audiences of newly elected legislators in state capitals—as was previously the case in Texas.

But Abbott didn’t just remake them as made-for-TV, but took the show on the road. His speech Thursday was broadcast from a manufacturing plant in San Marcos, along the growing corridor between Austin and San Antonio that has become a widespread symbol. Turbocharged growth in Texas Last two decades.

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Journalists were not given access to the statement. Nearby, immigrant rights advocates organized a small protest against Abbott’s hard-line actions on the US-Mexico border.

The Texas Democrat, who staged two years ago A dramatic 38-day walkout at the State House A GOP package of new voting restrictions has little power to temporarily suspend, override large numbers in state Capitols, and block Abbott’s agenda.

They used their 10 minutes of airtime after Abbott’s speech to broadcast recorded messages from several Uvalde parents who have been persistent critics of the governor since the shooting last May.

“We’re asking again Governor Abbott, please, listen to these voices,” said Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose district includes Uvalde. “It is too late for this family. But maybe, if you show some political courage, you can save the next family from going through this kind of emotional pain.”

Abbott is embarking on a record-setting third term His grip on Texas has rarely appeared tighter. He also called on lawmakers to provide $4 billion more in border security spending, a mandatory 10-year sentence for immigrant-smuggling crimes and an end to all pandemic-era restrictions in Texas.

Abbott, 65, has largely shrugged off questions about whether he would run for president in Texas like his two predecessors — former governors Rick Perry and George W. Bush — but he hasn’t ruled it out.

Dave Carney, Abbott’s chief political strategist, said the governor will survey Republican presidential candidates when the Texas legislature adjourns in May. Abbott will then decide whether the race will benefit from his experience in Texas, said Carney, who was also a strategist for Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign.

Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador, Started running for president this week To be the first major GOP challenger to former President Donald Trump.

“If he doesn’t think he needs to run, he won’t,” Carney said of Abbott. “He’s not this blindly ambitious guy who’s always running for the next thing.”

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Associated Press writer Will Wizert in Washington contributed to this report.