Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is seeking a third term, and former state Rep. Beto O'Rourke, his likely Democratic challenger, are polling dead even among Hispanic voters, a new University of Texas-Tyler poll shows.
According to The Hill, Latino voters are "a critical constituency that Abbott has courted during his two terms in office."
While 40 percent of Latino respondents said they planned to vote for Abbott, 39 percent opted for O'Rourke.
In 2018, Abbott lost the Latino vote to challenger Lupe Valdez 53-42, CNN reported.
In 2014, he fared similarly. Democrat Wendy Davis won 55 percent of the Latino vote with Abbott at 44 percent, according to CBS News.
Ahead of the 2022 election, Abbott leads O'Rourke 47-36 among all voters. Abbott also leads O'Rourke "by a 29-point edge among white voters," per The Hill.
In their party primaries, Abbott and O'Rourke are polling at 59 and 58 percent, respectively. Both face several primary challengers, all of whom are stuck in single digits.
Governors of Texas can serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.
The poll surveyed 1,082 registered Texas voters from Jan. 18 to 25 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The poll was conducted in English and Spanish.