Gov. Greg Abbott's lead is widening over Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke, according to a Spectrum News/Siena College poll of likely voters released Thursday. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

The poll also indicated that Texas voters may consider immigration a more important issue than abortion. About 31 percent of respondents said immigration was their top concern ahead of the midterms, while 22 percent said the same for abortion.

When asked to rank their top two issues, though, the numbers evened out — 13 percent said immigration was their first or second choice; it was 12 percent for abortion. Texans overwhelmingly consider the economy and inflation their highest priority.

The data comes as Abbott and other Republicans have sharpened their focus on border security in the lead-up to November, as Texas sees a record number of migrant encounters this year. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

Abbott has been busing thousands of migrants out of Texas and dropping them off in Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago, in what he has described as an attempt to show President Joe Biden how grave the situation is at the border.

Abbott's critics have characterized the program as a stunt that uses human beings as political pawns. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

Polls are a good tool to gauge public opinion ahead of an election, but they are not predictors of electoral outcomes. houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas…

Siena's poll, which statistically adjusted its results for age, race, regional vote pattern and other markers, has a 4.4-point margin of error.