In Texas, Top Two Republicans Steer Ship of State Hard to the Right
Different in style and background, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have come together, for different reasons, to push an uncompromising conservative agenda.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, and Gov. Greg Abbott are behind one of the most far-right turns in recent Texas history.Credit.Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press
July 17, 2021Updated 12:18 p.m. ET
One is a former State Supreme Court justice who acts with a lawyer’s caution; the other a Trumpist firebrand who began his political career in the world of conservative talk radio. They have sparred at times, most recently this winter over the deadly failure of their state’s electrical grid.