Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke win Texas gubernatorial primaries

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defeated Republican primary challengers, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the Lone Star State’s Tuesday primary elections.

Abbott faced seven primary challengers in his race for reelection: businessman Don Huffines, ex-state GOP Chairman Allen West, conservative media personality Chad Prather, philanthropist and baroness Kandy Kaye Horn, attorney Paul Belew, businessman Danny Harrison, and Rick Perry — not the same Rick Perry who was previously the governor of Texas, but rather a computer engineer.

Huffines and West were Abbott’s most prominent challengers, pushing the race to the right by arguing that Abbott is not conservative enough. But that appeared to be the extent of their goal, as the pair even campaigned together across the state.

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Abbott has taken a number of actions to build his credentials with his base, including hard-line stances on immigration and border security. He was endorsed in the race by former President Donald Trump.

Abbott’s primary challengers faced steep odds, as the governor currently leads O’Rourke in general election polling, and no incumbent governor of Texas has lost their party’s nomination since 1978, according to Ballotpedia.

O’Rourke easily defeated a handful of low-profile Democratic rivals. He previously ran unsuccessful bids for the Senate and the White House but has a reputation as a fundraising powerhouse and a national profile.

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The primary victories set Abbott and O’Rourke up to face off in November’s election. A February University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found Abbott leading O’Rourke 47% to 37% in a then-hypothetical matchup.