I just found out something quite interesting about politics in Texas. Greg Abbott is in his third term as governor, and people are talking about elections in 2026, but what really surprised me is that the Constitution of Texas has no limit on re-elections for the governor. In other words, technically a governor could stay there indefinitely if they keep winning elections. Nothing to do with the presidency of the United States, where it’s clearly limited to two terms.

Abbott was first elected in 2014, then won again in 2018 and again in 2022. So he already has three terms under his belt. His current term technically ends in 2026, but the official transition is only finalized in January 2027, when the new governor takes office. It’s a constitutional detail that many people don’t know.

As long as he meets the requirements and people vote for him, how many times a governor can be re-elected in Texas is basically: as many as he wants. No legal cap. The governor also has quite a lot of power—veto power over laws, control of the state’s military forces, pardons... It’s a pretty strong position. Interesting how each state has its own rules, right? Some limit terms and others don’t.