Greg Abbott Defends Texas Border Policies, Blasts Democrats at Convention

• September 11, 2026

A man in a suit and striped tie smiles and gives two thumbs up while standing at a podium, with bright lights and blurred flags in the background.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott gestures as he arrives onstage to speak during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 10, 2026. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP)

DALLAS— Gov. Greg Abbott made an appearance at the Republican National Committee’s Midterm Convention, where he spoke on multiple issues, including immigration and Texas Democrats running for office.

On the last night of the convention, Abbott welcomed everyone to Texas and started his speech, saying that Texas has done more than any other state to protect the southern border.

“No president has done more than [President] Donald Trump to secure our border,” Abbott said. “When Joe Biden was president, Texas had to step into the breach, and now Texas has the toughest laws on immigration of anybody in any state in the United States of America.”

Abbott touted new laws that banned sanctuary cities, made it a state crime to cross the border illegally, and built a border wall to protect Texans.

He then took aim at Texas Democrats running statewide, who have chosen to vote against “commonsense” policies.

“I’ll be honest with you. Democrats are not safe. They make our communities more dangerous,” Abbott said. “The Democrats running statewide in Texas, they have voted to defund police. That’s not Texas. That’s California crazy.”

The governor continued, telling attendees that the Democrats on the ballot “defy common sense.” He used the example of legislation that banned foreign adversaries from buying Texas land, saying the Democrats in the Texas Legislature voted against it.

Abbott spoke on two of the Democratic candidates running in Texas, Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico, who both spent time in the Texas Legislature.

“Let me tell you two laws that these Democrats running for office in Texas they voted on. They voted to prosecute parents who supposedly misgender their own children in their own home. They voted to allow public schools to transition children behind their parents’ backs,” Abbott said. “But that’s not happening, because I put a stop to the craziness by signing laws that protect parents’ rights in the state of Texas.”

Abbott’s speech ended with a hopeful message that the 2026 midterm election is a choice between “common sense and crazy.”

“Common sense always wins. It will win this year, too,” he said. “Together, we are going to demolish the Democrats. We are going to keep Texas red, and we will help President Trump keep America great.”

Abbott will be facing Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa in the governor’s race.

Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026.

Emily Medeiros | Texas Correspondent

Emily Medeiros is the Texas Correspondent for the Daily Signal.

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