The 2022 Texas gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott won re-election to a third term, defeating the Democratic nominee, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke. All statewide elected offices were currently held by Republicans. In his previous gubernatorial race in 2018, Abbott won with 55.8% of the vote.

The Democratic and Republican primaries were held on March 1, 2022. O'Rourke and Abbott won outright majorities in their respective primaries, and therefore did not participate in the May 24 runoffs.

Texas had not elected a Democratic candidate for governor since Ann Richards won a narrow victory in 1990. Additionally, Abbott had a strong approval rating on election day, with 55% of voters approving to 45% disapproving. Beto O'Rourke, who gained national attention in 2018 for his unusually close and competitive campaign against Senator Ted Cruz, was at one-time widely viewed as a rising star in the Texas Democratic Party and potential challenger for Abbott. However, in the intervening years, he amassed baggage that was leveraged against him in 2022. A failed run for President of the United States in 2020 was leveraged by Republicans to characterize him as opportunistic. Stances he had taken (and since reneged) related to gun control during that presidential campaign were also leveraged against him by Republicans.

Abbott won by 10.9%, a slightly smaller margin of victory than his 13.3% margin in 2018 in spite of a much more Republican national climate in 2022, making this the closest gubernatorial election in Texas since 2006, and the closest election of Abbott's entire political career since his first race for the Texas Supreme Court in 1998. Beto O'Rourke, meanwhile, performed 8.3% worse than his 2018 Senate run, but he still won the highest share for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since Ann Richards received 45.9% in her unsuccessful reelection bid against George W. Bush in 1994. Abbott's raw vote total was less than his 4.65 million in 2018, while O'Rourke narrowly set a record for the most raw votes received by a Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate at more than 3.55 million, but it was also less than his 4.04 million vote total in the 2018 Senate race.

Abbott carried 235 out of 254 counties, flipping the heavily Hispanic counties of Culberson and Zapata and becoming the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the latter in the state's history (though Zapata had earlier voted Republican in the 2020 presidential election), while O'Rourke became the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county of Fort Bend since 1974. O'Rourke outperformed Joe Biden two years prior among Latino voters, though his performance with them was still worse than past nominees.

Republican primary On June 4, 2021, Texas Republican Party chairman Allen West announced his resignation as party chair. West criticized Gov. Greg Abbott's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas. The history of conflict between West and Abbott included a lawsuit by West and other Republicans challenging Abbott's extension of the early voting period in 2020, as well as a protest outside the Governor's Mansion over pandemic-related shutdowns as well as mask mandates. On July 4, 2021, West announced that he would challenge Abbott in the 2022 gubernatorial primary. Both West and fellow gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines were considered more conservative than Abbott. On March 1, 2022, Abbott won the Republican primary by a smaller margin than in 2018.

Candidates Nominee Greg Abbott, incumbent governor and former Texas Attorney General

Eliminated in primary Paul G. Belew, criminal defense attorney Danny Harrison, businessman Kandy Kaye Horn, philanthropist Don Huffines, former member of the Texas Senate Ricky Lynn Perry, staffing agency employee Chad Prather, podcaster / talk show host, activist, and stand-up comedian Allen West, former chair of the Texas Republican Party and former U.S. representative for

Withdrawn Martin Holsome, former Rusk city councillor Kurt Schwab, military veteran

Declined George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner and member of the Bush family (ran for Attorney General) Christi Craddick, Texas Railroad Commissioner Glenn Hegar, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (running for re-election) Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture Commissioner (running for re-election) Rick Perry, former governor and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Joe Straus, former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives

Endorsements

Polling

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error GregAbbott DonHuffines Perry ChadPrather AllenWest Other UndecidedThe Trafalgar Group (R)The Trafalgar Group (R)February 25–28, 20221,040 (LV)± 3.0%62%10%2%2%15%5%3%Emerson CollegeEmerson CollegeFebruary 21–22, 2022522 (LV)± 4.2%61%9%3%3%12%3%9%UT TylerFebruary 8–15, 2022581 (LV)± 4.4%60%3%6%3%7%5%15%YouGov/UTYouGov/UTJanuary 28 – February 7, 2022375 (LV)± 5.1%60%14%5%3%15%3%–Paradigm Partners (R)Paradigm Partners (R)January 31, 20221,542 (LV)± 2.5%34%5%6%6%43%3%4%UT TylerUT TylerJanuary 18–25, 2022514 (LV)± 5.1%59%4%4%2%6%4%20%YouGov/UHYouGov/UHJanuary 14–24, 2022490 (LV)± 3.7%58%7%3%2%11%2%17%Paradigm Partners (R)Paradigm Partners (R)January 9, 20221,486 (LV)± 2.5%33%5%12%3%38%3%7%Paradigm Partners (R)December 16, 2021447 (LV)± 4.5%33%2%15%1%35%–14%Paradigm Partners (R)November 30, 2021– (LV)–42%3%–2%36%–17%UT TylerNovember 9–16, 2021520 (LV)± 4.7%65%3%–6%6%3%18%Paradigm Partners (R)November 11, 2021– (LV)–43%3%–2%33%–19%YouGov/UT/TTYouGov/UT/TTOctober 22–31, 2021554 (RV)± 4.2%56%7%–4%13%4%16%YouGov/TXHPFYouGov/TXHPFOctober 14–27, 2021405 (LV)± 4.9%61%4%–3%13%–19%UT TylerUT TylerSeptember 7–14, 2021427 (LV)± 6.1%70%15%–––15%–431 (LV)± 6.0%65%–––20%15%–Victory Insights (R)Victory Insights (R)July 22–24, 2021400 (RV)± 4.9%80%–––20%––Paradigm Partners (R)June 30, 2021– (LV)–73%–––17%–10%UT TylerJune 22–29, 2021440 (LV)± 5.4%77%12%–––11%–

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error GregAbbott DonHuffines SidMiller AllenWest UndecidedPublic Opinion Strategies (R)Public Opinion Strategies (R)June 14–17, 2021446 (LV)± 4.6%69%3%3%13%–

Results

Democratic primary Candidates

Nominee Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. representative for , nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and candidate for president of the United States in 2020

Eliminated in primary Inocencio Barrientez, fitness trainer Michael Cooper, pastor, candidate for lieutenant governor in 2018, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 Joy Diaz, reporter Rich Wakeland, former advisor to Public Utility Commissioner Ken Anderson

Disqualified Jack Daniel Foster Jr., teacher R. Star Locke, veteran

Declined Steve Adler, mayor of Austin Joaquin Castro, U.S. representative for (endorsed O'Rourke) Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, former mayor of San Antonio, and candidate for president of the United States in 2020Fort Worth Star Telegram (subscription required) Wendy Davis, former state senator, nominee for governor in 2014, and nominee for in 2020 Veronica Escobar, U.S. representative for , former El Paso commissioner, and former El Paso county judge (running for re-election) Lina Hidalgo, Harris County judge

Endorsements

Polling

Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error InocencioBarrientez MichaelCooper JoyDiaz Jack DeirdreGilbert StarLocke BetoO'Rourke RichWakeland Other UndecidedEmerson CollegeFebruary 21–22, 2022388 (LV)± 4.9%1%5%4%–––78%2%–11%UT TylerFebruary 8–15, 2022479 (LV)± 4.9%2%3%4%2%2%2%68%2%–14%YouGov/UTJanuary 28 – February 7, 2022348 (LV)± 5.3%2%1%2%–––93%1%1%–UT TylerJanuary 18–25, 2022459 (LV)± 5.4%1%6%4%2%1%1%58%0%–27%YouGov/UHJanuary 14–24, 2022616 (LV)± 3.3%3%4%3%–––73%1%–16%YouGov/UT/TTOctober 22–31, 2021436 (RV)± 4.7%––––––70%–5%25%

Results

Green primary Candidates Declared Delilah Barrios, environmental activist

Libertarian convention Candidates Declared Mark Jay Tippetts, attorney, former Lago Vista city councilman, and nominee for governor in 2018

Withdrew/disqualified Dan Behrman, software engineer, internet personality, candidate for Texas House of Representatives in 2014, and candidate for President of the United States in 2020Elections 2022 Libertarian Party Andrew Jewell, industrial maintenance technician, Secretary of Libertarian Party of Dallas County, chair of Texas Libertarian Party Radical Caucus, and candidate for Dallas County Commissioner District 3 in 2020

Independents and other parties Candidates Declared Jacqueline Abernathy, public health policies consultant and American Solidarity Party candidate Deirdre Dickson-Gilbert, public educator (previously ran for Democratic nomination) Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla, retired educator and write-in candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020

Disqualified Patrick Wynne, software engineer, data scientist and U.S. Navy veteran (Reform Party)

Declined Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award-winning actor (no declared party affiliation)

General election Predictions Source Ranking As of The Cook Political Report March 4, 2022Inside Elections July 22, 2022 Sabato's Crystal Ball June 29, 2022PoliticoApril 1, 2022 RCPJanuary 10, 2022Fox News May 12, 2022538September 21, 2022Elections DailyNovember 7, 2022

Debates +2022 Texas gubernatorial general election debatesDateHostModeratorsLink Republican DemocraticKey: Participant  Absent  Non-invitee  Invitee WithdrawnGreg AbbottBeto O'Rourke1Sep. 30, 2022KXAN-TVSally HernandezGromer JeffersSteve SpriesterKXAN-TV

Post-primary endorsements

Polling Aggregate polls Source of pollaggregationDatesadministeredDatesupdated GregAbbott (R) BetoO'Rourke (D) OtherMarginReal Clear PoliticsReal Clear PoliticsOctober 3–19, 2022October 25, 202252.8%43.5%3.7%Abbott +9.3FiveThirtyEightFiveThirtyEightJune 14, 2021 – October 25, 2022October 25, 202251.4%42.9%5.7%Abbott +8.5Average52.1%43.2%4.7%Abbott +8.9