Texas Gov. Greg Abbott head outside to take photos with supporters at Clay’s Restaurant in Houston on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
With his political future on the line, Gov. Greg Abbott issued his darkest prediction yet for what could happen if Republican voters don’t start showing up in bigger numbers at the polls.
“If we lose Texas, there’s no chance ever for the future of the United States,” Abbott told conservative radio host Sean Hannity.
Abbott’s dire warning comes as he barnstorms through Texas, particularly in Republican strongholds, pleading with the GOP faithful to get to the polls. Voter turnout in blue areas like Houston, Dallas and San Antonio has been well ahead of Republican areas, increasing the pressure on Abbott and other Republicans to amp up their message to their supporters to balance out the turnout.
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“Whether you’re happy or not, we’ve got to realize what’s at stake here,” said Abbott, who is battling Austin Democrat Gina Hinojosa in what polls show is the closest race of his career. “And if anybody stays home and doesn’t go vote, it’s going to put Texas at risk. It’s going to put the United States at risk.”
He and Hannity on Monday warned that a blue Texas would devastate the chances of Republicans winning future presidential elections.
“If Texas ever goes blue, they know they will have a stranglehold on the Electoral College and presidential elections,” Hannity said of Democrats.
Abbott answered: “You’re spot on.”
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It takes 270 electoral college votes to win the White House. Texas has the second most votes with 40. If those numbers are added to solid blue states like California, New York and Illinois, it would force Republicans to win every single battleground state just to have a chance at victory.
But Abbott assured listeners that there are still more Republicans in Texas than Democrats, though the question is whether they get out to vote.
“If, however, they stay home, it’ll be a very tough night on election night,” he said.
Hours later, it was more of the same when Abbott stopped in western Harris County where the GOP usually sees big turnout. But when he asked how many people in a jammed-packed meeting room at Clay’s Restaurant, few people raised their hands.
“So, we’ve still got plenty of people who haven’t voted yet,” he said before cajoling the crowd to “walk, bike or drive” to a polling site just a mile down the road after his speech.
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It may have helped. The Steve Radack Community Center voting location he was referring to saw nearly 7,000 people vote during the first three days of early voting. That is up from nearly 4,000 people during the first three days of the 2022 midterm elections.
“If all Republicans will go vote, we’re going to win this race,” Abbott said.
Through the first three days of early voting, Harris County had a record-breaking 298,000 votes cast – more than 100,000 more than 2018, when the previous record was set. Harris County Democratic Party Chair Traci A. Gibson said that is the result of an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation the party has built. But she said they aren’t celebrating the early numbers. The county and state both need huge Democratic turnout in the largest county in Texas to have a shot at turning the state blue.
“Harris County has to overperform, and we’re not slowing down,” she said. “We’re scaling up.”
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For more on the turnout numbers, check out this week’s Texas Take Podcast where the Austin American-Statesman’s John Moritz and the Houston Chronicle’s Casey Murray join me to dig into how significant the turnout in Democratic areas have been this week.