Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz are the ‘worst’ Texans this year, Texas Monthly says

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz can add the “2022 Bum Steer Award” from Texas Monthly to their list of accomplishments this year. Abbott was named the “worst Texan” by the magazine while Cruz nabbed Texas Monthly’s first runner-up for the category. In a scathing opinion piece published on Tuesday, Texas Monthly wrote that Abbott was “absorbed” by the Governor's Mansion thanks to more than 20 years of public life and 12 years as Texas Attorney General. Abbott only became governor because “it was his turn,” the magazine said.

“He inherited education and health-care and foster-care systems that were among the worst in the nation and a state government built on shortcuts and accounting tricks,” Texas Monthly wrote. However, in lieu of focusing on improving those areas, Abbott has instead taken hard-right stances to appeal “to the 4 percent of Texans who decide Republican primary elections.” This has been especially apparent in 2021, Texas Monthly wrote. “This has been a hard year for everyone, and no governor in the U.S. has had it easy,” the magazine said. “(“At least we don’t have Andrew Cuomo,” Texans could say.) But every step of the way, Abbott has made it harder for nearly everyone, rendering life more difficult, the death tolls higher, and the experience of being a Texan more demoralizing.” And Texas couldn’t even keep the lights on this year, the magazine said. Texas Monthly criticized Abbott for blaming renewable energy for causing statewide power outages in February, even though the blackout was caused mostly by problems with the distribution of natural gas. Millions were without power and hundreds died thanks in large part to a power grid that wasn’t winterized.