Of all the things Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could be doing in the remaining hours before Tuesday’s Election Day, hosting a rally at a San Antonio burger joint seems like an odd choice.
The rally took place Monday afternoon at Big’z Burger Joint on North Loop 1604 West, which, despite its name, isn’t that big.
The North Side restaurant has two private rooms — one with a capacity of 80 and another that holds 200.
Either way, on the eve of Election Day, that’s not a substantial crowd for someone running a statewide race.
In contrast, Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico on Sunday packed the Espee in San Antonio, which has a capacity of nearly 3,200.
University of Texas at San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said the size of Abbott’s Alamo City rally says less about his ability to draw a crowd than it does his campaign’s eagerness for control.
“That would be somebody who’s trying to control the narrative and have his campaign put him in a hermetically sealed bubble,” Taylor said. “It’s fascinating to watch this guy, because I think he’s reached something of a desperation stage. He knows he’s in trouble. He is floundering.”
The Big’z appearance was just one stop at a series of intimate establishments on Abbott’s statewide “Let’s Roll” tour.
Abbott appeared last Wednesday before another small crowd at Texas Pride BBQ in Adkins — an exurb to the east of San Antonio.
In front of what appeared to be a few dozen people, Abbott told the crowd he was against public schools assisting children “to transition their sex behind their parents’ backs,” according to the San Antonio Report.
Meanwhile, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is appearing in even smaller venues. At one Sunday night rally at an ice house in Tyler, a heckler was tackled in front of a crowd of what — based on photos — appeared to number fewer than 50.
At another Paxton rally held Sunday at San Antonio’s Angry Elephant, a woman alleges she was muscled out of the room for simply saying to Paxton, “Can I ask you a question?”
San Antonio Democratic activist Laura Browning said in a Facebook post that she had planned to ask the candidate for U.S. Senate why he was partying with fugitives in Dubai on New Year’s Eve to ring in 2025.
Browning added that Paxton didn’t take any questions from the crowd of roughly 100, and that she had to wait in the photo line for her chance.
“I didn’t get to first base, as you might expect from a guy with everything to hide,” she said in her post. “Three of Paxton’s security officers escorted me out of the building before I got an answer to my very first question.”
“So tell me, what do you think about a man who wants to be a US Senator but kicks an elderly Texas woman out of his rally for simply asking, ‘Can I ask you a question?’” she added.
Paxton was also heckled during an August appearance in San Antonio over his alleged infidelity.
Over the weekend, the Texas Tribune reported that Paxton also canceled his last stand at the Alamo for his Come and Take It Tour, which was scheduled to take place on Election Night.
Could the small crowds be signs Texas Republicans are in trouble?
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