WACO, Texas — National Rifle Association President Charles Cotton endorsed Governor Greg Abbott for another term Wednesday at the Palladium in Waco. He was joined by Texas State Rifle Association President Daryl Valdes who also gave Abbott an endorsement.
Cotton gave Abbott praise for multiple legislative measures passed over the last few years.
"He signed two major bills. One of them was open carry...the other, and the far more important one, was campus carry," Cotton said. "He signed constitutional carry...That is the most constitutionally significant bill ever."
Cotton closed his remarks with Abbott's endorsement.
"Please support one of the finest government we've ever had. Thank you folks," Cotton said.
Texas State Rifle Association President Daryl Valdes also thanked the Governor for his support.
"He's been solid on the 2nd amendment, and as a result of that I'm very honored to give the governor a strong endorsement," Valdes said.
A recent poll by the University of Texas at Austin shows Governor Abbott wining 60 percent of the registered voters sampled versus other candidates in the Republican primary.
Abbott made no mention of his Republican competition Wednesday and instead focused his comments on Beto O'Rourke.
"My likely opponent, Robert Francis O'Rourke, has threatened your God given 2nd amendment rights by threatening to come and take your guns," Abbott said. "He's heard a big 'no' by Texans and amazingly, in Tyler Texas last week, here he is double talking and saying he doesn't want to take away anything from anybody. All he wants to do is support the second amendment. Right..."
Abbott also criticized O'Rourke with claims that he wanted to defund police departments and worked to tie him to President Joe Biden on border policies.
"Another approach from these leftist radicals like Biden and like Beto is even more dangerous than defunding the police. That is their open border policies that are endangering communities across Texas and across the united states of America."
Abbott's campaign promises on Wednesday focused on continuing to build a border wall and to arrest drug smugglers and people trespassing across the border.
"I had to open up and covert two prisons into two massive jails where we are jailing people coming across the boarder," Abbott said. "Biden has 'catch and release.' We have 'arrest and jail' in the state of Texas.