Watch: Gov. Greg Abbott delivers State of the State

Watch Gov. Greg Abbott deliver the State of the State address Thursday at 6 p.m.

For the second legislative session in a row, Gov. Greg Abbott is bucking tradition and holding his biennial State of the State address offsite, outside of a joint session of the Legislature.

The governor will reportedly speak before a small group of invited guests at Noveon Magnetics Corp. in San Marcos at 7 p.m. Central. Here’s what The Blast is looking for in tomorrow’s televised speech:

• While the change in protocol, which excludes journalists, may upset the traditionalists, it’s a fresh way for Abbott to make a splash with the drab biennial speech at a major domestic manufacturer, particularly if he has his eyes on the White House.
• Abbott gave his 2021 address remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Texas emerging from the pandemic as a national economic driver, a second remote address gives the governor an opportunity to highlight an example of Texas-bred innovation.
• Hays County, where San Marcos is located, is also on the front lines of a public health emergency related to fentanyl overdoses. The opioid crisis has been one factor in Republicans’ push for stronger border security, and Abbott will likely take Democrats and President Joe Biden to task on the matter.
• Taking the State of the State to an Austin suburb also gives Abbott a chance to contrast “woke” city policies against his attacks on critical race theory; diversity, equity and inclusion; and environmental, social and governance criteria. Add in his recent embrace of restrictions on transgender athletes in collegiate sports, and you have a full slate of cultural flashpoints from which Abbott can toot his conservative horn.
• Local organizations are billing their counter event as a “State of the People” news conference and potluck. Because they couldn’t arrange a protest near Abbott’s venue, organizers like Mano Amiga opted instead for a community event nearby at the Hays County Courthouse.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/02/16/greg-abbott-state-of-the-state-texas/.

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