The Texas Tribune looks at the opening weeks of the Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s run for governor against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. O’Rourke is hoping voters will fire Abbott over issues including the 2020 power-grid failure, while Abbott is championing priorities like border security. Both are targeting South Texas, which is shaping up to be a key battleground in the 2022 election.

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Patrick Svitek was the primary political correspondent for The Texas Tribune. Patrick covered elections, state leaders, the Legislature and political trends across the state from 2015 until 2024. He previously...