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<\/p>\nGov. Greg Abbott officially launched his reelection campaign Sunday with a promise to provide Texans significant property tax relief, including the ability for voters to abolish property taxes that fund public schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal governments must live within their own means \u2014 just like you have to live within your means,\u201d Abbott said during a Houston rally. \u201cI want all property tax increases to be voted on and approved by two-thirds of voters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gov. Greg Abbott announced his election campaign by unveiling a plan that would significantly reform property taxes in Texas. The plan will be the centerpiece of his next term, one that could make him the longest serving governor in Texas history. One of the points in his plan is to give Texans an opportunity to vote on eliminating property taxes for school districts.<\/p>\n
Abbott released a one-page synopsis of his plan before his speech, which stated \u201cdespite record state relief, local government tax increases have wiped out billions in savings for homeowners\u201d and \u201cvoters deserve the right to decide whether to abolish school district taxes.\u201d <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Gov. Greg Abbott waves to supports as he announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle via AP)<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman \/ AP<\/p>\n
Abbott\u2019s plan does not detail how public schools would be funded without school district property taxes.<\/p>\n
Political Points<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Last week voters approved a series of constitutional amendments, many of them related to property tax<\/a> relief.<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to turn the tables on local taxing authorities, put the power with the people, and end out-of-control property taxes in Texas,\u201d Abbott said. <\/p>\n Abolishing school property taxes would require a Texas constitutional amendment, which can only be placed on the ballot with 100 votes in the Texas House and 21 in the Senate.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle via AP)<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman \/ AP<\/p>\n Public school advocates and local leaders have been wary of plans to mitigate the taxing authority of municipalities or abolish property taxes outright.<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Former Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said removing property taxes as a funding source could create more reliance on sales taxes to fund services like public education. <\/p>\n \u201cA sales tax is a progressive tax and creates an unfair burden on poor folks,\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cIf you take away the property taxes, it just creates an unfortunate division between the haves and the have-nots. It\u2019s popular with people who own property, but it\u2019s not popular when you\u2019re trying to run government, to run a school district, to run the city or municipality where you need services that everybody benefits from, like sewer and water and schools and roads.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with giving voters the chance to abolish property taxes for public schools, the six-point plan would also:<\/p>\n Cap the growth of property appraisals to 3%. Abbott\u2019s plan \u201cwould expand that cap to all properties, which would help renters and businesses\u201d and keep housing affordable.Require two-thirds approval from voters on all property tax increases.Limit local spending to a formula based on population plus inflation or 3.5% (the lesser of the two).Empower voters to roll back property tax rates through referendums. If 15% of registered voters in a local area file a petition to roll back tax rates, an election on the matter would be held.Create property tax appraisal predictability. Abbott\u2019s plan would require properties to be appraised once every five years for \u201cfewer surprises\u201d and \u201cmore peace of mind for Texas families and businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Many lawmakers have been frustrated by rising property taxes, even as the Legislature has moved to provide relief.<\/p>\n For the next two years the state has allocated $51 billion for property tax relief, one of Abbott\u2019s signature achievements.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Greg Abbott has delivered the largest property tax relief ever provided by any governor in American history\u2013$51 billion in relief for Texans this session alone,\u201d the brief of the plan states. \u201cHowever, spiking appraisals and local government tax hikes are wiping out the savings of hardworking Texans. Governor Abbott is going to overhaul the property tax system to give Texans the power to stop local governments from hiking your property taxes. Texans deserve complete control over their property taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s campaign for governor could be historic. If he wins reelection, he\u2019ll have the chance to become the longest serving governor in Texas history. Republican Rick Perry led the state for 14 years.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott waves to supports as he announces his re-election campaign for Texas governor in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Abbott is seeking a historic fourth term, which would position him to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history, surpassing the 14 years served by Rick Perry.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman \/ Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n Property tax relief has been an ongoing goal during Abbott\u2019s tenure as governor. The ultimate success of the plan, which could help define Abbott\u2019s legacy, involves getting buy-in from the Republican-controlled Legislature. Democrats in the Texas House currently have the votes to block constitutional amendments. Abbott plans to use his push for greater property tax relief not only to boost his reelection campaign, but help Republicans win down-ballot legislative races in order to add to the GOP majority in the Legislature.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Abbott is a strong conservative leader who has delivered economic opportunity, property tax relief, strong schools and a secure southern border,\u201d said state Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Prosper, who supports meaningful property tax relief. \u201cTexas will greatly benefit from Greg Abbott serving another term as governor.\u201d<\/p>\n There are several Democrats vying to challenge Abbott in the general election, including state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin and Houston businessman Andrew White. Former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, D-Houston, has called an Austin news conference for Monday, where he could announce a campaign for governor.<\/p>\n FILE – Texas state Rep Gina Hinojosa speaks during a rally to protest against redistricting hearings at the Texas Capitol, July 24, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay, File)<\/p>\n Eric Gay \/ AP<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely time for a change,\u201d said state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie.<\/p>\n Turner said Texas has the highest rate of residents without health insurance, public schools need better funding and many Texans \u2014 including women who don\u2019t have reproductive rights \u2014 have lost their freedoms.<\/p>\n \u201cGreg Abbott has been governor of Texas for a full decade now and it\u2019s hard to reflect back on his 10 years as governor and name any significant accomplishment that has actually benefited the people of Texas,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n Abbott said Sunday that Texas has prospered under his watch, pointing to what he said were efforts to make Texas schools more competitive, including his hard-fought effort to allow students to use public money to attend private schools. He also touted the Texas economy and public safety efforts, including border security and money pumped into public schools.<\/p>\n \u201cTo hire and keep the best teachers, we provided the largest teacher pay raise ever. To improve outcomes for our students, we redoubled our focus on critical core subjects like reading, writing, math and science,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cWe also passed laws to stop indoctrinating our kids, ban DEI, and ensure that there are no boys in girls\u2019 sports. All these elements together will put Texas on the pathway to ensuring we are No. 1 in education.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbott, who turns 68 on Nov. 13, is a former Texas Supreme Court justice and attorney general. He won his first term as governor in 2014, defeating former state Sen. Wendy Davis by 20 percentage points. That general election remains his high-water mark, though Davis was considered more formidable than his 2018 opponent, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. He beat Valdez<\/a> by 13.7 percentage points. Four years later Abbott defeated Beto O\u2019Rourke, after easily outpacing former U.S. Rep. Allen West \u2014 now chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party \u2014 and former state Sen. Don Huffines in the GOP primary. The primary contest was a test of Abbott\u2019s strength with the party\u2019s most conservative activists. He won 66.4% of the vote in the eight-candidate field.<\/p>\n The filing period for the March primaries opened Saturday and to this point Abbott doesn\u2019t face major Republican opposition.<\/p>\n A man is seen during a rally in support of Gov. Greg Abbott in Houston, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025.<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman \/ Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n On Sunday he asked Texans to help him win another term.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have in Texas is precious. But it can all be destroyed in one bad election. In one election government can crush your economy, destroy your jobs and increase your taxes,\u201d Abbott said. <\/p>\n The crowd chanted \u201cfour more years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are Texans, and in 2026 we will remind the whole world that the spirit of Texas will never be broken,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cWe will win this election. We will defend this great state. We will leave our children and grandchildren a Texas that is safer, stronger, freer and more prosperous than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. 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