UPDATE 5:31 pm: Abbott said he took the long wait to vote as a good sign.
While saying he feels confident, Abbott stressed that he is not taking anything for granted.
“I’m going to be campaigning today and through Election Day because I want to go out and earn everybody’s vote,” he said.
Abbott said he remains optimistic that he can win upwards of 40 percent of the Hispanic vote.
“I feel really good about the Rio Grande Valley because we’ve devoted a lot of resources down there,” he said, adding that he has made about 17 campaign stops in South Texas. He plans another round on Friday when he travels to Victoria and Edinburg.
Democratic opponent Wendy Davis has fought to defend the Democratic strength among Latinos and her campaign scoffs at the notion that Hispanics will turn out in record numbers for Abbott.
Davis points to his record of fighting as attorney general for a redistricting plan and for a Voter ID law, both of which federal judges have proclaimed intentionally discriminatory against Hispanic voters.
Abbott nevertheless has made Hispanic outreach a cornerstone of his campaign.
“We have more people on the ground in the Rio Grande Valley than Rick Perry had through the entire state of Texas,” during his gubernatorial campaigns, Abbott said Thursday.
He said he has received huge cheers whenever he mentions that his wife, Cecilia, would be the first Hispanic First Lady of Texas.
“My multi-cultural family has played a role in our ability to connect with the Rio Grande Valley,” Abbott said.
ORIGINAL POST: Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott waited in line about 30 minutes at an Austin Randall’s to vote on Thursday.
Several shoppers and voters recognized the GOP nominee and good naturedly asked who he was voting for.
Waving a sample ballot, Abbott laughed and said, “I’m looking it over. It’s a last minute decision.”
Joining the candidate was his wife Cecilia and 17-year-old daughter Audrey.