NPR poll makes Texas governor race toss-up with less than 2 months - Yahoo

The numbers matter here in Lubbock because Texas hasn't elected a Democratic governor since Ann Richards left office in 1995. Abbott has carried Lubbock County by wide margins in his past campaigns, so a statewide toss-up this close to Election Day is not something West Texas Republicans expected to see this cycle. Hinojosa is also gaining with independents, non-white voters, and some past Abbott supporters.

Hinojosa framed her campaign around economic frustration, saying Texans are tired of being, in her words, "sold out to Greg Abbott's billionaires." That message will get tested in places like Lubbock, where agriculture, energy, and Texas Tech drive a big share of the local economy and voters tend to lean conservative on statewide races even when they split tickets locally.

For people here, this means the governor's race stops being a formality. Campaign ads, canvassing, and both parties' ground games will likely ramp up in West Texas media markets that usually get ignored once a race looks decided. Local voters could end up seeing more attention from both campaigns than they have in a decade.

A Texas governor's race hasn't polled this tight in years, and Lubbock is about to find out what it feels like to be a battleground instead of an afterthought.