Last Updated on May 12, 2021
Former GOP Senator and conservative activist Don Huffines announced that he is running for Texas Governor, as current Republican Governor Greg Abbott becomes increasingly unpopular among Conservatives.
“For decades, politicians have promised to secure our border, to lower our property taxes, and to protect election integrity, but year after year, nothing gets done… I’m tired of being lied to!” he proclaimed in his announcement video. “As your Governor, I will secure our borders, and finish the wall… I will eliminate property taxes once and for all… and I will expose voter fraud, and finally enforce laws that protect your vote and your voice.” He continued, “Texans are running out of time to root out corruption and reclaim our great state.”
Together we will finish the wall, lower our taxes, and protect our elections.
It’s past time to root out corruption in the Austin swamp.
Leadership. No excuses. (An Actual Republican)
Join me >>> https://t.co/DZMUW33iIh pic.twitter.com/dS0we5MGi4
— Don Huffines (@DonHuffines) May 10, 2021
Huffines is positioning himself as a staunch conservative and a fighter, and he has a record to back it up. He has spent the past year railing against Abbott for his poor handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, shutting down the state and enforcing a statewide mask mandate. He also is one of the only politicians in Texas to have not taken Government money while in office, a practice which he views as corrupt.
The announcement marks the first time Abbott has faced a significant primary challenger during his tenure, as he consistently fails to implement conservative policies in the state. In addition to shutting down the economy for the sake of the coronavirus pandemic, Abbott has ultimately been responsible for killing bills fighting for a myriad of conservative causes in the legislature. Some of these bills include a bill which would protect children from being chemically castrated, a bill which would prevent vaccine passports from being required by the private sector, and – potentially – a bill which would enact constitutional carry of firearms throughout the state. This also comes on the heels of Abbott railing against free speech on the internet, as well as bungling the energy and cold weather crisis last February.
National File has repeatedly been told by activists in Texas that Abbott is singularly behind the push to kill bills that would end radical transgender surgeries and chemical castration for minors. Abbott seeks to continue the practice because of his ties to corporations who are in favor of the surgeries. Former U.S. House candidate Chris Ekstrom told National File, “Abbott’s woke corporate cronies have decreed that we can’t be Texas anymore, and no one’s taken more money from them than Greg Abbott, no one in the country,” Ekstrom added, “Not even Joe Biden.”
Huffines, in contrast to Abbott’s lackluster policies, has framed his campaign in stark moral terms: “I used to say, if we lose Texas we lose the country. Now, I say if we lose Texas, we are going to lose the free world.” Abbott has $38 million to devote to the election, however, Huffines is largely expected to self fund his campaign, and is the co-owner of Huffines Communities, one of the largest real estate development companies in the Dallas area.
