Experts in the News

"Voters who are most active in their party primaries show the strongest feelings on whether certain COVID policies will work," said fellow Mark Jones.

The maximum price cap for electricity in Texas has risen steadily over the past decade, but in February "the $9,000 carrot didn't ensure a constant supply of power," said fellow Mark Jones.

Beto O'Rourke's recently announced campaign for Texas governor will showcase an updated version of the candidate: "Beto 3.0," said fellow Mark Jones. "Beto 1.0, which almost defeated Ted Cruz, was killed off by Beto 2.0, who made a failed attempt for a Democratic presidential nomination." O'Rourke's statements during his presidential run may have alienated many Texas voters, he added.

Greg Abbott is potentially vulnerable, but at this early stage, "any Republican starts off a race in Texas with somewhere between an eight or 10-point advantage," said political science fellow Mark Jones.

If Beto O'Rourke runs against Greg Abbott in a general election, a Baker Institute-Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll shows the race would be nearly tied. Political science fellow Mark Jones said the survey of 1,402 voters, conducted at the end of October, shows Abbott with 44% of support to O’Rourke’s 43%.