I've been looking at some of the pros and cons of various people on Trump's VP shortlist, but today I want to look at Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Could he be the man for the job?
First, if you'd like to see the other candidates I've talked about, you can click the links below.
Hear Me Out... Tulsi Gabbard Would Not Be a Bad VP Pick
Would DeSantis Work As Trump's VP?
Would Vivek Ramaswamy Make a Good VP for Trump?
Let's get started with the Texas Governor.
Despite Abbott being the runaway choice for Texas Governor he is something of a divisive character within the Texas Republican Party, particularly thanks to his handling of the pandemic, which featured some not-so-conservative decisions. While Abbott did have an aggressive reopening strategy after the pandemic, it was often criticized as too little, too late by many conservatives, especially as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had implemented his strategies far earlier.
However, Abbott has quickly made up for it in the minds of many Republicans with his one-man war against the Biden Administration's attempts to keep the border open. Abbott showed that when it comes to securing Texas, he's not willing to back down, and has openly defied the Biden Administration, going so far as to use the Texas National Guard to block access to the border so that Biden's border patrol could remove whatever was constructed to block access into Texas.
RELATED: Texas Is Right
Abbott's support across Texas stands at a 55 percent approval rating and is largely drawn along party lines, with Republicans cheering him and Democrats furious with him over his handling of the abortion issue in Texas.
This will likely spill out into a national scenario, but Abbott's handling of the border would be his greatest strength in terms of generating confidence in a Trump/Abbott ticket. Immigration continues to be one of the top concerns in many polls, and Abbott's handling of the Texas border makes him look very good. It's also one of the more significant weights on Biden's neck, giving the Abbott nod more reason to turn from Biden.
Abbot would also give the Trump administration more conservative cred. Despite his stumbles, Abbott has demonstrated strong conservative values by passing the "heartbeat bill" which bans abortion in Texas after six weeks gestation. His continued support of Second Amendment rights, including making Texas a constitutional carry state, would alleviate worries from some conservatives about Trump's less-than-stellar record on gun rights.
Another strength would come in the form of his handling of Texas' economy, which has been stellar. As Trump is largely considered a better alternative to Biden thanks to his economic prowess, having the governor of Texas added as his second in command would send the signal that the economy is going to come roaring back. Abbott is known for cutting taxes and reducing regulations on businesses, which would be a very attractive prospect for many business owners as well.
Moreover, Greg Abbott is very good at fundraising, something that even the Texas Tribune had to admit:
Throughout his political career, Abbott has amassed a mountain of campaign cash unrivaled in Texas. He is easily the most prolific fundraiser in state history — even compared with his two predecessors, George W. Bush, who went on to become president, and Rick Perry, who served as governor for a record-breaking 14 years. Since 1995, when Abbott made his first bid for statewide office for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court, he has raised $348 million in campaign donations when adjusted for inflation, a sum greater than the cost to build the new Longhorn basketball arena at the University of Texas at Austin.
While Trump doesn't necessarily need help in that regard, thanks largely to his New York trial finding him guilty of multiple felonies, it doesn't hurt to have someone who knows how to get even more cash.
That said, the abortion issue is going to turn a lot of moderates off, especially women, which could complicate matters. Abbott's long reign as the Governor of Texas has come with a host of wins and losses that have alienated more than a few people in every aspect of the political divide. I have little doubt that Trump's paving the way for the death of Roe v. Wade will be used against him, and Abbott's inclusion as a VP would only exacerbate that. While this wouldn't really matter too much for the left, which will largely vote against Trump anyway, it could put a dent in his moderate pool of votes.
While this might shore up his conservative vote, there's not a lot of regional diversification with Abbott. Swing state voters might not think too highly of Abbott, or even think about him at all. The overlap of voter demographics doesn't offer Trump a lot of wiggle room for bringing in people who aren't so conservative, possibly causing a chunk of his voter base to lose interest.
Overall, it's not necessarily a bad team, all things considered. A Trump-Abbott ticket has its drawbacks, to be sure, but would present a strong conservative front - and judging by what I've seen from Americans lately, they want leadership that isn't playing games.