Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Texas Gov.Greg Abbotthas been reelected for a third term in office after months of contestation over his response tothe May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary Schoolin Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead.
Abbott defeated his Democratic challengerBeto O’Rourkein what theDallas Morning Newshas reportedto be a 60.27% majority vote across all 14 Uvalde County precincts.
While Abbott has been a frontrunner in Uvalde County in both of his previous elections, the Texas governor faced criticism regarding his lack of transparency and inability to enact change in gun control policy following the deadliest school shooting in his state.
Community members and loved ones of the deceased campaigned for O’Rourke’s election for months following the tragedy, calling for the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to change from 18 years old to 21 years old. This was largely in part to the Uvalde shooter purchasing two legal weapons after his 18th birthday,KUT 90.5 reports.
On Monday, Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez released call logs between Abbott and Texas DPS from the day of the shooting.
According to Gutierrez, Abbott had three calls from the state’s DPS director after 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramosentered the schoolthrough an open back door at 11:33 a.m. Gutierrez reported that the first went out after 4 p.m, the next at 5 p.m., and the last at 8:41 p.m.
“It’s the lack of importance that he placed on the communications between home and his top cop. A 7-minute call, a 6-minute call, goes to a fundraiser, collects 60 grand and then makes another longer call, 18 minutes,” Gutierreztold KHOU 11.
RELATED VIDEO: Greg Abbott Defeats Beto O’Rourke in Texas Gubernatorial Race
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin alsoexpressed doubtsin the Texas Department of Public Safety’s ongoing investigation and Abbott’s immediate response.
He expressed in a July interview withCNNthat he believed upper management in the Texas DPS was covering up for their agencies.
“What do they say? It’s always hard when you tell a lie, you have to keep telling a lie,” McLaughlin said, pointing to the shifting stories that have emerged about what happened on the day of the shooting. “I’m not saying he’s lying, maybe he was misled with the information he got.
“Your story can’t change on something this horrific three times, four times, in three days,” McLaughlin added. “At this point, I don’t know what to believe and what not to believe.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
During a press conference following the May tragedy,Abbott expressedthat the situation “could’ve been worse.”
source: people.com
