How many times can a person run for governor in Texas?

With both the candiates for the gubernatorial election decided, Texas gears up for a shootout between incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke. When Abbott faced Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez in 2018, he carried the election with 55.8 percent of the vote to Valdez’s 42.5 percent; a 13 percentage point margin. O’Rourke will be hoping to overturn this huge gap.

There are no limits on how many times a person can run for the governorship of Texas. If Abbott wins the election again, as he is projected to, it will be the start of his third term at the helm of Texas. The Lone Star state is one of 14 states with no term limits on governors.

Is there any hope for Beto O’Rourke?

O’Rourke is doing better than his predecessor at this stage. According to FiveThirtyEight, Abbott leads by over nine points in the polls, but since February, O’Rourke has been able to tighten the race. In spring Abbott’s advantage hit its high of eleven points, but now, only a few months later, polls show Abbott holding onto a five to seven point advantage over his rival.

O’Rourke is no stranger to big electoral battles in Texas; the young politican challenged long-time Republican Senator Ted Cruz during the 2018 election but lost. O’Rourke will fight the election on his opposition to easy access of firearms as well as the legalisation of marajuana.

Both candidates have raised an eye watering amount of cash to fund their bids. Abbott has raised $45 million while O’Rourke has raised $27.7 million. American elections tend to raise such incredible sums to win some of the lands most prestigious positions.