Texas Gov. Greg Abbott arrives to speaks during an election night campaign event Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in McAllen, Texas, with his wife Cecilia Abbott and daughter Audrey. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:04 PM PT – Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has won reelection.

The tight race for Texas Governor has come to an end.

Abbott was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and graduated rom the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in finance. He was paralyzed in 1984 after a large oak tree fell on him while out running. Before assuming his role as Governor in 2015, Abbott worked as a district judge in Harris County. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by then-Governor George W. Bush where he served from 1995 to 2001, and went on to become the Texas Attorney General from 2002 to 2015.

Born and raised in El Paso, O’Rourke has served as a small business owner, city council representative and member of Congress. He served on the El Paso City Council from 2005 to 2011 and as a Democrat in House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O’Rourke also announced his candidacy for president in 2019 before ending the campaign eight months later.

Polling has showed that Abbott held a lead throughout the race. Since July 2021 the two campaigns have spent more than $200 million combined, becoming the most expensive race in Lone Star State history.

Abbott raked in 65% of the funds, raising $143 million in his bid for a third term. O’Rourke raised about $77 million in his hopeful bid to become Texas’ first Democrat governor since 1994.

The Republican incumbent’s campaign focused on expanding opportunity in the Lone Star State and securing the border. Abbott affirmed he wants to ensure Texas remains the best place to create greater opportunity for all.

“I am running for re-election to keep Texas the number one state for producing oil and gas,” Abbott said while on the campaign trail in Fort Worth.

Funding public schools, supporting small businesses, affordable health care and gun safety were some of the many issues taking the center stage of O’Rourke’s campaign. The Democrat vowed to repeal permitless carry.

“As governor, my number one job will be to keep the people of Texas safe,” O’Rourke said on his campaign website.

The Democrat said he wants to start funding programs that prevent crime before it happens and believes criminalizing poverty and mental illness is inhumane and jeopardizes public safety.

Joanna Gaines is revealing aspects of her childhood.

On Tuesday, the "Fixer Upper" star appeared on the "Today Show" to promote her upcoming memoir, "The Stories We Tell," in which she details the struggle of growing up half Korean in her hometown in Kansas.

"I told the other kids my middle name was Anne because it sounded more American than Lee," Hoda Kotb said as she read aloud an excerpt of Gaines’ book. "The lies I told out loud though weren't as harmful as the lies I was letting take root in my heart."

"It was like I couldn't find my place," Gaines shared with Kotb. "I remember going to Korean church and feeling like, 'I don't look like them,' because I felt like, you know, I was a 'halfie.' And then going to school and being the only girl who looked pretty Asian."

JOANNA GAINES GETS EMOTIONAL THINKING ABOUT MOM'S STRUGGLE AS AN IMMIGRANT

The interior designer shared that she always viewed herself as "somewhere in the middle" and finding her place was an "internal" process. 

She explained that her childhood bullying began in the school cafeteria while eating her mother’s Korean cooking. 

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"I loved rice. I loved my mom's food. And, in the moment when you'd open it, that's when all the kids where like, ‘What?’" Gaines explained she "laughed off the insults" and did not process the bullying until later in life.

Gaines' daughters, Ella, 16, and Emmie, 12, appeared with their mom on set of the "Today Show" to show support Tuesday. 

Gaines and her "Fixer Upper" co-star and husband, Chip Gaines, also share three sons: Drake, 18, Duke, 14, and Crew, 4. The couple has been married since 2003.

Last week, Gaines revealed she wanted to be more spontaneous in her 40s. She explained to People magazine that, over the past several years, she has felt burned out and felt the pressures of her own high expectations.

"I was about to turn 44, and I realized, the last 10 years, a lot of it felt like a blur," she told the outlet. "It was fast, it was exciting and there was so much to be grateful for, but there was something in me that just felt so tired. I wanted to go back and regain moments that I had missed along the way."

In her new memoir, "The Stories We Tell," Gaines shared that she began a journey of self-discovery by journaling and healing. That process led to happier moments.

"The Stories We Tell" released on Tuesday.