Ed. Note: Written with the help of Alyssa Bonner and Jasmin Ruiz

Texas is known in the political world as a primarily red state. This election season, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott hopes to continue this trend and has recently gained endorsement from Walker, Texas Ranger himself, Chuck Norris. Norris rallied in San Antonio alongside Abbott on the Riverwalk on Oct. 25.
Avdiel Huerta, Abbott’s campaign spokesperson, said in an ABC News article, “Chuck Norris doesn’t campaign with Greg Abbott, Greg Abbott campaigns with Chuck Norris.”
Abbott has held his current position as Attorney General since 2002. In this time, Abbott has established a Cyber Crimes Unit to arrest criminals who use  the Internet to endanger children. He is most famously known for his argument in the 2005 Supreme Court case defending the state’s right to display the Ten Commandments in the state capitol building.
Throughout his campaign, Abbott has strongly identified with the Second Amendment. Second Amendment campaigns have recently been active on the West Texas A&M University campus. In March of 2013, the Student Senate voted 10 in favor, seven against and one abstained to allow concealed carry on campus. The Student Senate also voted on SB 182 with 13 against, four in favor and one abstained. However, those measures would not take effect until approved by the state legislature and signed by the governor.
During his Twitter Town Hall discussion on Oct. 17, Abbott tweeted, “Yes, I’ll sign campus carry & open carry into law.”
“The current law is not that there cannot be concealed carry on campus,” Dr. Matt Jackson, Bell Helicopter Professor of Mechanical Engineering and faculty advisor for the Rifle Club, said. “The current law is that the policy is set by the regents of the institution, but there are no public institutions in Texas that currently openly allow it. Texas A&M policy, which we fall under, lets the institution designate exemptions that they consider on a case by case basis.”
Abbott is currently a member of the Texas State Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association. In his personal hunting experience, Abbott said he likes to use a 12 gauge.
Abbott’s Educating Texans Plan for higher education includes recommendations for improving graduation rates. Over a span of four years, only about a quarter of students at WT graduate.
Abbott intends to establish a block scheduling system for two-year associate degree programs as well as making transfer credits more transferable to other institutions of higher education. He also hopes to adopt a statewide AP credit-by-exam policy. This policy would require universities and colleges to give college credit to high school students who score 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams.
“It’s not a new plan,” Dr. Dave Rausch, Professor of Political Science, said. “A couple of states have tried variations of this.”