Unprecedented young voter turnout would give Beto O'Rourke chance at governor's race, expert says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Election Day is less than two months away, and a lot of eyes are on the Texas race for governor. On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke made stops in Houston.

At Houston Police Officers Union headquarters, Abbott spoke at a 'Back the Blue' event and focused on public safety, bail policies, and securing the border.

"Because of the approach taken by judges in Harris County, has led to the release of people who go on to commit crimes, and once again, it has turned deadly," Abbott said.

He said his plan is to try again to amend the Texas Constitution as it relates to bail.

SEE ALSO:Experts weigh in on what needs to happen to keep the Texas governor's race close

In Houston's Second Ward, Beto hosted a 'Latinos Con Beto' event Tuesday evening. ABC13 spoke to one of his supporters, who says she supports Beto because she thinks he will do more for school safety.

"School safety is number one. We need to get the AR-15s, any military weapons, off the street. Abbott is not doing it. Beto is the one that will do it," Geraldine Sanchez said, who added that the issues of abortion and fixing the power grid are also important to her.

Mark Jones, a professor of Political Science at Rice University, says polls show Abbott will likely win again in November.

"He can narrow the margin, but Beto needs some sort of October surprise or a phenomenal turnout machine that turns out younger voters in a way which we haven't seen in the past decades. Without that, he's going to lose," Jones said.

Election Day is Nov. 8, and you have until Oct. 11 to register.

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