Until a few years ago, the business wing of the Republican Party called the shots in Texas. From Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on down, that no longer seems to be the case. This year alone, Abbott has created a system to jail undocumented migrants, made it harder for many Texans to vote, tried to ban vaccine and mask mandates, and signed the nation's most restrictive abortion ban, enforced by "deputized" Texas residents.
The start-ups and tech companies that moved to Austin or expanded Texas operations when cutting taxes and regulations was ascendant have noted the rightward shift, and while few have publicly criticized the abortion law, SB 8, many are now "worried about retaining workers and recruiting top tech talent to the state," The Washington Post reports. A survey by PerryUndem released earlier this month found that 66 percent of college-educated "top talent" said they would not take a job in a state that has a six-week abortion ban.
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