Named “Best Governor in the Nation” in 2020, Governor Greg Abbott continues to build on his record as a strong conservative leader who fights to preserve Texas values and ensure the Lone Star State remains the best place to raise a family, build a business, and create greater opportunity for all.
Governor Abbott’s vision for an even stronger Texas of tomorrow is focused on creating more jobs and economic opportunity, elevating our schools and education system, protecting individual liberties, and securing the Texas border in the face of federal inaction.
Expanding opportunity. Under Governor Abbott’s careful stewardship of the ninth-largest economy in the world, the Lone Star State added more than 1 million new jobs during the first five years of his administration.
With the Governor’s unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity for all hardworking Texans, the Lone Star State is the top state for attracting job-creating capital investments and is among the top states for jobs created by African American, Hispanic, women, and veteran business owners.
Securing our border. With a surge of illegal crossings at our southern border, Governor Abbott is taking action with the most robust border security plan of any state in U.S. history. That includes launching Operation Lone Star, which deploys air, ground, marine, and tactical border security assets to high threat areas to deny Mexican Cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers the ability to move drugs and people into Texas. The Governor also signed a budget that allocates a record $1 billion to border security. Additionally, Governor Abbott announced plans to build a border wall in Texas—allocating $250 million as an initial down payment.
Promises made, promises kept. Throughout his time in office, the Governor achieved significant legislative victories to build a safer, freer, and more prosperous future for Texas. This includes:
- Reining in property taxes
- Investing more in our classrooms and teachers
- Cutting billions of dollars in taxes
- Stopping cities from defunding the police
- Expanding broadband access
- Weatherizing the state’s power system to protect against extreme weather events
- Passing Constitutional Carry and defending Second Amendment rights
- Creating a culture of life and protecting the unborn from the ravages of abortion
Perseverance. Before his election in 2014 as the 48th Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott was the 50th Attorney General of Texas, earning a national reputation for defending religious liberty and protecting Texas communities and children. He also previously served as a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as a State District Judge in Harris County.
A native Texan and avid sportsman and hunter, Governor Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and raised in Duncanville. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, he earned a law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.
Shortly after graduating from law school, he was partially paralyzed by a falling tree while jogging. From his faith and family, he gained strength, recognizing “our lives are not defined by our challenges, but by how we respond to them.”
Governor Abbott and his wife, Cecilia, a former teacher and principal, and the first Hispanic First Lady of Texas, were married in 1981. Their daughter, Audrey, is a recent college graduate.