Overview
- At a Houston event, Abbott announced his reelection bid for 2026, spotlighting border security and a sweeping property tax agenda.
- His plan would require two-thirds voter approval for local rate hikes, allow rollback elections with petitions from 15% of voters, shift to five-year appraisals, cap appraisal growth at 3%, and tie local spending to population plus inflation.
- He proposed letting voters decide whether to eliminate school property taxes via a constitutional amendment, a step that would first need two-thirds approval in the Legislature to reach the ballot.
- Abbott begins the race with roughly $87–90 million on hand and pledged to spend heavily in Harris County to try to flip the Democratic stronghold.
- Democratic challengers who have announced bids include state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, Andrew White and Bobby Cole.