Greg Abbott

Greg Abbott and his wife, Cecilia, have two Golden Retrievers named Peaches and Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit.¹ The couple married in 1981 and have an adult daughter, Audrey, who married in 2025; Cecilia previously worked as a teacher and principal.¹

Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and raised in Duncanville, then graduated from the University of Texas and earned a Vanderbilt law degree.¹ Shortly after law school, a falling tree struck him while he was jogging and left him paralyzed.¹ His subsequent legal career took him through a state district judgeship in Harris County, the Texas Supreme Court and the attorney general’s office before he won the governorship in 2014.¹

In May 2025, Abbott signed the private school voucher legislation he had spent years pressing lawmakers to approve.² It created education savings accounts permitting public money to cover approved private education expenses, with an initial $1 billion funding cap.³ His administration also pursued Operation Lone Star, using state resources for border enforcement.⁴

Seeking a fourth term against Democrat Gina Hinojosa, Abbott proposes further property tax restrictions, including eliminating school property taxes for homeowners.⁴ Their disagreement over public funding for private tuition makes the future of the new voucher program a central education choice for Texas voters.⁴