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Incumbent Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke by just 5 points after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.
Abbott gets support from 48% of registered voters in the Lone Star State, while O’Rourke gets 43% — down from Abbott’s 15-point lead in December, 52%-37%.
But other numbers in the poll suggest that the overall political winds remain at the GOP’s back in this race and in the state.
For starters, Abbott holds a net-positive favorable/unfavorable rating (46% positive, 45% negative), versus O’Rourke’s net-negative rating (38% positive, 43% negative). And President Joe Biden’s approval rating in the state (33%) is significantly lower than Abbott’s approval rating as governor (46%).
Still, the poll finds that the Uvalde shooting has affected Texas voters. A combined 61% of parents with school children say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned that there will be a shooting at their school, and 58% of all voters say they support stricter gun laws.
The Quinnipiac poll of Texas was conducted June 9-13 of 1,257 registered voters, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 2.8 percentage points.