Abbott Keynotes Texas GOP Convention for First Time Since 2018 as Hard Right Gains Ground
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 12
Abbott Keynotes Texas GOP Convention for First Time Since 2018 as Hard Right Gains Ground
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 12
Summary
Friday’s keynote marks Greg Abbott’s first speech to the full Texas Republican convention since 2018, after he skipped the 2022 gathering and appeared only by video in 2024.
Abbott’s appearance signals a fuller embrace of the party’s hard right as Texas Republicans move to center activists and candidates running on sharper MAGA-aligned positions.
Recent primary wins by hard-line candidates set the backdrop, including Attorney General Ken Paxton’s defeat of sitting Republican Senator John Cornyn with an anti-incumbent message.
Abbott has long driven Texas’ conservative agenda himself, most recently backing the state’s new $1 billion school voucher program as he seeks to unify Republicans against Democrats.