Gov.-elect Greg Abbott turns 57 on Thursday.
It’s also the birthday of his wife, Cecilia, the lady in the white jacket in the photo above. She turns 55.
When a reporter on Tuesday yelled to ask Greg Abbott what he planned to do on his birthday this week, Cecilia, who was standing behind him, quipped, “I’d like to know.”
Having the same birthday as his wife does put pressure on him to make it special, Greg Abbott acknowledged.
Presumably, it’s even more pressure now, as she prepares for life in the fishbowl as Texas’ soon-to-be first lady.
“I will spend my birthday taking my wife out to some place where I will not see any of you all,” he told reporters gathered in the historic Texas Supreme Court chambers in the state Capitol.
At his just-concluded news conference in that grand room, Abbott repeated his campaign vow that he will unite a geographically and ethnically diverse state.
As governor-elect, he noted, his first huddle with lawmakers was with the legislative black caucus (on Sunday). His first trip was to the Rio Grande Valley (on Tuesday). And his first nomination was Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos as Texas secretary of state (also Tuesday). Cascos came to this country from Mexico at age 7. He became a U.S. citizen as an adolescent and went on to a successful career as a certified public accountant and rising South Texas politico.
Abbott also fielded a reporter’s question on immigration, warning President Barack Obama not to assume “dictatorial powers” with an overreaching executive order in coming weeks. Perhaps Abbott’s most interesting comments, though, came in response to a query about whether he favors repeal or changes to the state franchise or “margins tax.”
The short answer: He’d sure like to. But the nuances are important, especially in light of Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick’s apparent determination to make property tax relief his top priority.
In Wednesday’s paper, I had this story about Abbott’s tax-cut comments.