Can Joe Straus Beat Greg Abbott? Our Poll Results are In

Joe Straus, the former Texas House Speaker, has been on the spot lately as the rumors of a possible race for Abbott’s seat become louder and louder.

The possibility of Straus winning a challenge against Abbott has also grown with his steadily decreasing approval rates, as Texans state their disapproval regarding the Governor’s handling of the pandemic based solely on “personal responsibility”.

As an overall feeling of Abbott juggling with Texans’ lives to advance his political career upsets Democrats and Republicans alike, Joe Straus -a longtime GOP politician- has emerged as a viable candidate for Governor, among the moderate Republican vote and Democrats who have no official challenger yet.

In a recent poll carried out online, we asked respondents in Texas if they believed Joe Straus could beat Greg Abbott in a race for the Governor’s seat. From the total 753 responses, 57.37% believe Straus can beat Abbott, as opposed to 42.63% who answered they believe he can’t.

“Joe Straus has always taken a pragmatic approach to deal with the challenges in our state while refraining from reacting to the partisan dog whistles that seem to get louder each year,” said San Antonio Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson. “He is the leader our state needs.”

Abbott, however, has a growing war chest that exceeds $55 million and despite Straus being an effective fundraiser, challenging Abbott could easily turn into the most expensive statewide campaign ever waged in Texas. Additionally, Straus would need a substantial crossover vote to overcome hardcore Republican primary voters, who tend to be the most conservative and partisan, as stated in the San Antonio Report.

Nonetheless, according to the Caller-Times, Larson, who in recent years has emerged as one of his party’s harshest critics of what he says is the GOP’s penchant for “political nonsense said Straus’ independent nature would focus state government on such issues as ‘education, jobs, health care, public safety, and a government that can provide basic services at a reasonable cost without political infighting.'”

“Leadership is about hope, not fear,” said Larson.