BEAUMONT, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is hosting a meet and greet in Beaumont as he kicks off the final stretch of his gubernatorial campaign.
Gov. Abbott will face off Democratic challenger Beto O' Rourke in the 2022 midterm election on November 8, 2022.
Gov. Abbott will be in Beaumont on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at Amelia Farm & Market located at 8600 Dishman Road. The meet and greet begins at 4 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
Admission is free. You can reserve your spot here.
This event comes after Gov. Abbott visited Southeast Texas to discuss his plans to combat what he calls the “worst drug problems to face Texans in our lifetime.”
The Texas governor met with area and state law enforcement agencies at the Texas Department of Public Safety Beaumont headquarters on October 17, 2022 to talk about the “national fentanyl crisis.”
“We need to all realize that fentanyl is killing Texans,” Gov. Abbott said.
In 2021, almost 1,700 Texans lost their lives because of fentanyl, according to Abbott.
Sixty-five people in Jefferson County suffered from an overdose in 2021, Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary said during the roundtable. Twenty-five of those were in connection to fentanyl.
Officials suspect the number of people who will suffer from a fentanyl overdose could be 150 by 2022.
Another plan the governor has is to increase the availability of Narcan, a counteractive drug used to save people from a fentanyl overdose. Gov. Abbott said he wants to use state funding to get Narcan to police officers and then distribute it to hospitals and schools.
The governor also pushed his "One Pill Kills" campaign, hoping to increase education about fentanyl.
“One single pill that has fentanyl laced onto it is a deadly dose that can kill anybody who takes it," Abbott said. "And that person may have no idea that the pill they are taking is laced with fentanyl."
Abbott proposes these efforts come from state funding and also federal funding.
"Bottom line is, this is something we have to do, distribute across the state of Texas," Abbott said.
On election night all results will be posted at 12NewsNow.com/elections. If you are voting by mail your ballot must be received at your county clerk or elections administrator by November 8, 2022 at 7 p.m.
Wondering if you are registered to vote? You can visit the Secretary of State website to find out.
Early voting for the 2022 Midterm Election began on October 24, 2022. Election day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022