Gov. Greg Abbott is running for a fourth term as Texas governor. The Republican announced his decision Sunday at a golf course in Houston.
"This is the place where I first ran for public office," Abbot said, referencing his judicial election for the 129th District Court in the early 90s. "We won Harris County then, and we are going to win Harris County again this election."
The three-term governor of the Lone Star State is entering his reelection campaign with a reported $87 million in cash on hand. The governor has led the state during a period when the The Republican Party of Texas has moved ideologically farther to the right. Abbott has also been a consistent supporter of and ally to President Donald Trump.
During his announcement Sunday, Abbott touted Texas' friendly environment for business, his response to this July's history flooding and the state's economic growth.
"Today, under my leadership, the Texas gross domestic product has increased to $2.7 trillion a year," Abbott said. "Making Texas now the eighth largest economy in the entire world."
Looking to the future, much of Abbott's speech Sunday focused on lowering property taxes for homeowners.
"We are going to turn the tables on local taxing authorities and put the power with the people," the governor said.
Abbott currently has two Republican challengers who he will face in the party's primary in March 2026: Pete Chambers and Ronnie Tullos. As an incumbent with such a strong campaign war chest, it's expected Abbott will easily win — as he did four years ago — and then move on to face the Democratic nominee that November.
Greg Abbott's long history in Texas
Since taking office in 2015, Abbott has successfully pushed many conservative priorities in the state. Most recently, that list includes the state's controversial mid-decade congressional redistricting plan and the signing of a $1 billion school voucher bill into law in May. In previous legislative sessions, Abbott's emergency items have included cutting property taxes, changing the bail system, and a host of election and immigration measures.
During his nearly 11 years in office, Abbott has also overseen the state's responses to multiple natural disasters, including Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri, along with implementing a controversial state-led border security initiative called Operation Lone Star.
Prior to being elected the 48th governor of Texas, Abbott was a member of the Supreme Court of Texas and the state's longest-serving attorney general.
Abbott attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from law school at Vanderbilt University in 1984. Shortly afterwards, he became paralyzed after a falling tree pinned him while he was jogging. Abbott eventually sued the homeowner and the tree-trimming company, winning a six-figure annual payout for life.
He continued working in the courtroom practicing law in Houston, where he won his first election in 1993 to become a state trial judge. Three years later, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by then-governor George W. Bush. He resigned from the position in 2001 to return to private law practice. Abbott then became the Attorney General of Texas in late 2002, a position he held until shortly before being sworn in as governor in 2015.
If Abbott successfully wins in 2026 and fully serves out a fourth term, the Republican would become Texas' longest-serving governor.
"We will finish what we started. We will lead Texas into its glorious future," said Abbott. "And that's why tonight, I'm here to announce, I am running for reelection as your governor for the great state of Texas."
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.