Abbott not joining Trump at San Antonio campaign stop

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) will not appear alongside President Trump at an upcoming political rally in San Antonio as the Republican incumbent fights for reelection less than a month out from November’s midterms.

Trump is traveling to Texas Wednesday to stump for the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton (R), who is locked in a tight race with Democrat James Talarico for a seat in the Senate. GOP House candidate Carlos De La Cruz, who’s running in a congressional district that includes parts of San Antonio, is also slated to attend.

Abbott’s campaign confirmed the governor’s plans to skip this event and directed The Hill back to his response to a reporter’s question at a Monday roundtable event with law enforcement in Houston.

“Because of the schedule that I run, where I go to multiple cities a day doing events like this, I already have events like this scheduled that day and I will not be able to make it,” Abbott said.

The governor praised the president’s ability to drum up “excitement among the base.”

“He does a good job of getting the base organized and turning out,” he added.

The Wednesday event will mark the president’s third trip to Texas in less than a month, a signal of the state’s importance in the GOP’s efforts to maintain control of Congress this fall.

Several Republican candidates in battleground states this election cycle have sought to distance themselves from the president amid concerns about rising living costs and the ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran.

Last month, Abbott praised the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown during a speech at the GOP’s midterm convention in mid-September, which Trump and Vice President Vance also attended.

“I want you to know this much: We are very proud to have President Donald J. Trump here in Dallas, Texas,” Abbott told the crowd.

The governor was also asked during Monday’s roundtable about polling data that showed his Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa gaining ground in the state’s competitive gubernatorial race.

In a New York Times/Siena University poll conducted last month, the Democratic candidate posted a four-point lead on the incumbent Republican. A Fox News poll from the same time period showed Abbott with a five-point lead among registered voters.

“Listen, one thing I have is internal data, and I feel very comfortable about where I am,” Abbott replied.