Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will be notably absent when President Donald Trump takes the stage in San Antonio on Wednesday, choosing to continue his own campaign schedule as Republicans battle to hold their ground in the Lone Star State.
Abbott’s campaign confirmed that the Republican governor will not attend Trump’s midterm rally at the Freeman Coliseum, where the president is expected to campaign alongside Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz.
Abbott said the decision comes down to a scheduling conflict rather than any disagreement with the president.
“Because of the schedule that I run, where I go to multiple cities a day doing events like this, I already have events like this scheduled that day and I will not be able to make it,” Abbott told reporters Monday, according to The Hill.
The governor nevertheless praised Trump’s ability to mobilize Republican voters.
“When the President shows up, it creates excitement among the base,” Abbott said, according to USA Today. “He does a good job of organizing the base and turning people out.”
Abbott won’t be sitting on the sidelines Wednesday.
Bloomberg reported that the governor instead plans to hold campaign events in Jasper and College Station. His College Station stop — a barbecue with a reported maximum capacity of 250 people — is scheduled to begin around the same time as Trump’s San Antonio rally.
The competing events come at a particularly consequential moment for Texas Republicans.
Trump’s rally is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Central at the Freeman Coliseum, according to the Republican National Committee’s event page.
Paxton, who has Trump’s endorsement, is locked in a competitive Senate contest against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. De La Cruz is meanwhile fighting Democrat Johnny Garcia for the newly drawn 35th Congressional District.
Trump has made Texas a major part of his final midterm campaign push. The Texas Tribune reported that Wednesday’s appearance will be his third trip to the state in less than a month.
The president himself has publicly acknowledged concerns about Texas.
“We are worried about Michigan. We are worried about Texas. We are worried about a few states,” Trump told supporters during a recent rally in Oklahoma, according to CBS Texas. “It’s all about 35 different contests.”
Abbott has electoral concerns of his own.
The three-term governor is seeking a fourth term against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, and recent polling has painted an unusually competitive picture.
A New York Times/Siena University survey conducted from Sept. 21 through Sept. 30 found Hinojosa ahead of Abbott 49% to 46% among likely voters, although the difference was within the poll’s margin of error.
A Fox News poll conducted during roughly the same period produced a different result, putting Abbott ahead 52% to 47% among likely voters.
The Texas Politics Project’s polling tracker shows just how unsettled the contest has become. A YouGov survey conducted from Sept. 28 through Oct. 5 found Hinojosa leading Abbott by a single point, 48% to 47%, also within the margin of error.
The tightening race has attracted the attention of election handicappers. The Cook Political Report moved the Texas governor’s race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” on Oct. 1, though it continues to give Abbott the advantage.
Despite Wednesday’s absence, Abbott has hardly broken with Trump.
At the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas last month, Abbott enthusiastically welcomed the president while touting the administration’s immigration policies.
“We are very proud to have President Donald J. Trump here in Dallas, Texas,” Abbott told the crowd.
Now, less than a month before Election Day, Trump and Abbott will be campaigning in the same state Wednesday — just not on the same stage.
