HE IS DOING.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> Laura: YOU FEEL THAT BETO OH
YEAH.
BUT NOW, REMEMBER, BETO WAS THE
ONE.
RIGHT?
THE FORMER PUNK ROCKER THAT
ROCKSTAR WHO COULD TURN IT ALL
IN TEXAS.
>> IS THE THIRD TIME REALLY THE
TIME, BETO O’ROURKE HOPES THAT
IT IS.
IS THE NAME OR CONDITION ENOUGH
FOR TEXAN TO TURN TEXAS BLUE FOR
BETO?
>> DEMOCRATS WANT TO LIFT TEXAS
FROM RED TO BLUE, THEY DID
CANDIDATES LIKE BETO O’ROURKE.
>> Laura: THE ONLY ONE FEELING
BLUE THESE DAYS BECAUSE A RECENT
POLL FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS SHOWS HIM DOWN AT THE
GOVERNOR, GREAT AVID BY 11
HOURS.
BUT IT WAS SOMETHING INSIDE THE
POPE THAT REALLY CAUGHT OUR EYE,
BASED IN THAT REASON WE ARE HERE
TONIGHT.
IT IS 2018 ELECTION WIN,
GOVERNOR ABBOTT LOST HIS --
HISPANIC VOTE BY 11-POINT.
IN THAT UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
POLL, BUT HE AND BETO ARE NOW
TIED AT 48% AMONG THAT SLICE OF
THE ELECTORATE, JOINING US NOW
TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
HIMSELF.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
NOW, THAT IS A BIG SHIFT.
I THINK THAT IS A DOUBLE-DIGIT
SHIFT FOR YOU.
BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING?
WHY ARE THERE HISPANICS COMING
TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?
>> Governor Abbott: WE CAN’T
SLEEP REACH OUT TO THE HISPANIC
COMMUNITY.
NO GOVERNOR HAS GONE DOWN TO THE
RIO GRANDE VALLEY MORE THAN I
HAVE.
WE ARE CURRENTLY REACHING OUT
AND CONNECTING WITH HISPANIC
COMMUNITY AND LIKE YOUR OTHER
CASTANET KEPT THE POLICIES THAT
ARE RUNNING ON, ARE THE POLICIES
THAT THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY
SUPPORTS.
THEY BELIEVE IN HARD WORK.
ENTREPRENEURS AND YES, THEY WANT
A STATE THAT CREATE JOBS AND
STRONG ECONOMY.
AS WE GATHER HERE TONIGHT, TEXAS
HAS THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY
OF ANY STATE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
ALSO, TEXAS, SINCE THESE FOLKS
REELECTED ME, TEXAS HAS ADDED
FAR MORE NEW JOB THAN ANY OTHER
STATE IN AMERICA.
TEXAS IS THE PLACE FOR ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HISPANICS,
WHETHER YOU ARE ON THE BORDER OR
IN HOUSTON TEXAS OR NORTH TEXAS,
THEY DON’T WANT BIDEN’S OR THE
DEMOCRATS OPEN BORDER POLICIES.
HE WANT A SECURE BORDER AND
BECAUSE BIDEN IS NOT DOING IT,
THEY HAVE TO HAVE A GOVERNOR TO
STEP UP AND SECURE THE BORDER
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I’M
DOING BY TAKEN UNPRECEDENTED
ACTION TO BUILD A WALL TO THIS
-- DEPLOYED THE NATIONAL GUARD
AND THOSE WHO MAKE IT IN ARE
GOING TO -- WE’RE GOING TO BUST
THEM UP.
CENTURY CITIES, NEW YORK,
WASHINGTON, DC, AND ELSEWHERE.
>> Laura: OKAY.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
NOW, WE WANT EVERYONE TO GET OUT
AND VOTE BECAUSE I DO WANT
PEOPLE TO FEEL COMPLACENT LIKE
WE GOT THIS.
EVERYONE IS GOING TO GET OUT AND
VOTE.
EVERY AMERICAN WHO IS ELIGIBLE
TO VOTE HAS TO GET OUT THERE AND
VOTE AND ZERO ONE TO PLAY BETO’S
PITCH TO MSNBC LAST NIGHT.
>> GUN VIOLENCE IN THE STATE --
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
RESTORE A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO
CHOOSE.
LET’S GET BEHIND PUBLIC
EDUCATORS WHO ARE UNDER ATTACK
BY THE THOUSANDS.
THAT MAJORITY OF TEXANS ART WITH
US ON THIS.
WE WILL GET THE JOB DONE.
>> Laura: HE IS ANTI-SECOND
AMERICAN.
HE WILL TALK A GOOD GAME BUT HE
IS AGAINST THEN RIGHTS IN THIS
STATE AND --
>> Governor Abbott: HE SAID HE
WOULD CONFISCATE YOUR GUNS.
HE WANTS TO IGNORE THAT SECOND
AMENDMENT TO THE ARTIST’S
CONSTITUTION AND TAKE YOUR GUNS.
DIOS, FAMILIAR, MUCHO TRABAJO IS
ALSO PUSHING THE ABORTION ISSUE
BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS FOR A LONG
TIME THOUGHT THAT THAT WAS GOING
TO BE THEIR GOLDEN GOOSE HERE
AFTER THE DECISION CAME DOWN IN
JUNE, THEY THOUGHT THAT WAS
GOING TO TURN, YOU KNOW, THIS
STATE BLUE AND OTHERS LIKE IT.
ON THAT QUESTION, HOW IS TEXAS
HANDLING THIS GIVEN ALL THE
SUBURBAN WOMEN OUT THERE WHO DO
HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW ON THIS
ISSUE?
>> Governor Abbott: VERY
DIFFERENT THAN IN OTHER STATES.
ON THE ABORTION ISSUE, THE
RECENT POLLING THAT SHOWED I
THINK IN THAT SAME POLL THAT YOU
MADE REFERENCE TO, IT SHOWED WHO
DO YOU CHOOSE MOST ON THE
ABORTION ISSUE?
EITHER, AMONG WOMEN.
AND SO THIS IS AN ISSUE WHERE IN
TEXAS, TEXAS IS A PRO-LIFE
ESTATE.
>> Laura: WHAT IS GOING TO
HAPPEN?
OTHER REPUBLICANS ARE KIND OF
RUNNING AWAY FROM IT.
YOU ARE NOT.
>> Governor Abbott: VERY
IMPORTANTLY, WHAT EVERYONE IN
THE STATE NOW KNOWS BECAUSE WE
HAVE EXPOSED MENTAL ILLNESS
ISSUE, BETO IS IN FAVOR OF JUST
ABORTION BUT ABORTION OF A CHILD
AT THE VERY LAST SECOND BEFORE
IT FULLY DEVELOPED CHILD IS
BORN, EVEN AGAINST PROVIDING
MEDICAL CARE FOR A BABY WHO
SURVIVES AN ABORTION.
THAT IS HORRIBLE.
>> Laura: SO HE IS THE RADICAL
ON THE ISSUE?
>> Governor Abbott: BETO IS THE
EXTREMIST.
>> Laura: ON THE ISSUE OF
YESTERDAY AND WHAT IS HAPPENING
TO THE EQUITY AGENDA FOR
CORPORATE AMERICA AND HOW THE
ENERGY INDUSTRY WHICH IS SO
CRITICAL AND VITAL TO THIS STATE
IS UNDER SHE’S.
MAKE A LOT OF MONEY BECAUSE THE
QUANTITY OF OIL AND SO FORTH IS
DOWN.
SO PRICES ARE UP.
BUT THE ATTACK ON THE ABILITY TO
BORROW MONEY FOR COMPANIES THAT
WANT TO DRILL OR I WANT TO BE,
YOU KNOW, EXPLORING FOR OIL TO
THE EXTENT THAT THEY CAN, IT CAN
BE DEVASTATING.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT BACK
ON THAT ISSUE?
>> Governor Abbott: LIKE BETO, I
DO SUPPORT THE OIL AND GAS
INDUSTRY.
TEXAS MAX NUMBER ONE IN THE
UNITED STATES FOR OIL PRODUCTION
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.
BUT LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT
WE ARE COMING ABOUT THAT.
BUT WE ARE GOING ABOUT THAT IS
LAST SESSION, I SIGNED A LAW
THAT EXISTS IN TEXAS NOW WHERE
WE ARE PROVIDING -- FIGHTING
BACK AGAINST ANY BUSINESS LIKE
BLACKROCK OR USB OR UBS OR ANY
OF THESE BANKING COMPANIES THAT
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST COMPANIES
THAT DO NOT LEND THEM MONEY.
WE ARE BLACKBALLING THEM.
>> Laura: THEY ARE ALL READY
STARTING TO --
>> Governor Abbott: THEY CANNOT
PARTICIPATE IN ANY --
>> Laura: HOW ABOUT THE PENSION
FUNDS?
>> Governor Abbott: WE ARE
CUTTING THEM OFF.
>> Laura: OKAY, THAT IS GOOD.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
GOVERNOR, I CAN’T WAIT TO TALK
TO YOU AFTER YOUR REELECTION.