Overview

• Greg Abbott confirmed he will seek a fourth term as Texas governor in 2026, extending a tenure that began in 2015 under a state constitution with no gubernatorial term limits.
• The governor remains closely aligned with President Donald Trump on immigration, with Texas touted by the White House as a model for strict enforcement.
• Texas has advanced SB4 and Operation Lone Star, and ICE recorded more than 20,000 migrant arrests in the state in the first five months of 2025, the highest in the country for that period.
• Abbott signed a new congressional map in late August 2025 that is designed to add five GOP‑leaning U.S. House seats, drawing immediate opposition from Democrats and critical editorials in Texas media.
• The standoff over the map followed a Democratic walkout and Abbott’s calls for sanctioning absent lawmakers, as critics also faulted his focus on partisan power during the state’s flood recovery.