WHEN TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG Abbott announced plans for a crowdfunded Texas border wall to be jump-started with a $250 million infusion from the state budget, it was clear that he was taking aim at a perceived weakness by the Biden administration on immigration. But to many Republicans and political observers, the latest salvo in Abbott's gubernatorial reelection campaign was also an unmistakable public signal that with uncertainty surrounding another Trump run, Abbott has presidential aspirations of his own. The moves thus far have involved beefing up the team around the governor, but with an eye on early primary contests. Abbott s team members reached out to at least one Republican strategist in Iowa to consult on the governor's race from afar, with the idea being that they would then have someone already in place in Iowa in the future, Newsweek has learned. The operative declined a request to confirm the outreach because they weren't "interested in helping the media."
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