Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Approval Rating Declines Amid Abortion Ban, Critical Race Theory
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a press briefing, following a mass fatal shooting, at the El Paso Regional Communications Center in El Paso, Texas, on August 3, 2019. - A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 20 people Saturday when he opened fire on shoppers at a packed Walmart store in the latest mass shooting in the United States. JOEL ANGEL JUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's approval rating is taking a hit amid his stance on certain issues such as the abortion ban, allowing people to carry concealed handguns without permission, and COVID-related mandates, among others.

A new poll shows that the majority of Texas now disapprove of the Republican governor, according to The Hill report.

Forty-five percent of Texans had approved of Abbott's performance as the state governor. However, 54 percent said that the state is heading in the wrong direction, as shown by The Dallas Morning News and University of Texas survey. Before the COVID pandemic, Abbott's approval rating stood at 59 percent.

The new poll was conducted from September 7 to September 14, with 1,148 registered voters as participants. The survey has an error margin of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, according to The Dallas Morning News report.

Mark Owens, a political scientist at UT-Tyler, noted that so many issues were being considered.

Some of Abbott's 2021 agenda includes legally banning abortions as early as six weeks, as well as a $1 billion commitment of state funds for border wall construction.

Abbott had also banned the teaching of the Critical Race Theory.

The survey also found that 37 percent of the respondents said they would vote for Abbott's possible 2022 opponent Beto O'Rourke.

Texas resident Matthew McConaughey was also nine points ahead of Abbott, with 44 percent saying they would vote for the actor.

Meanwhile, neither O'Rourke nor McConaughey has officially declared a run for office.

Abbott's 2021 Agenda for The State

The new ban on abortion in the state noted that any bystander could sue for $10,000 someone who aids a woman seeking an abortion, according to an Independent report.

Many opposed the new move, including U.S. President Joe Biden dubbing it a "vigilante law." He said that it was designed to instill fear into the already long process of getting an abortion.

Jim Henson, executive director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said that the dissatisfaction with the way the pandemic was being handled has been a recurring issue behind the plummeting support for Abbott.

Henson also noted that it had been a tough year in Texas, citing power outages and infrastructure failures, among others.

Official state data shows that more than 27,000 Texas students and 4,400 staff have tested positive for COVID in public schools.

Local governments, school districts, and advocacy groups had filed a lawsuit on the ban on mask mandates.

However, an Austin federal judge had shut down an attempt by disability rights advocates to stop Texas' ban on mask mandates.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel denied the move done by Disability Rights Texas, according to a Houston Public Media report.

Dustin Rynders, an attorney for Disability Rights Texas, said that the judge's decision was disappointing.

Rynders said that the group will continue to work on ensuring that there will be safe in-person learning.

The group had argued that the ban on masking requirements violated federal protections given through the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Written by: Mary Webber

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