Abbott on Crockett remarks: Democrats have 'nothing to sell but hate'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), appearing on Fox New's "Hannity" on Tuesday, generally waved off the "Governor Hot Wheels" insult Rep. Jasmine Crockett (R-Texas) lobbed at him over the weekend that's been seen as mocking his use of a wheelchair.

"It's another day and another disaster by the Democrats," Abbott told host Sean Hannity. "The reality is, they have no vision, no policy."

"They have nothing to sell but hate," he added, without directly addressing his wheelchair use or the phrase Crockett used.

Crockett, a second-term member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, referred to Abbott as "Governor Hot Wheels" during a speech at the Human Rights Campaign's Los Angeles dinner Saturday night.

Abbott became paralyzed from the waist down after a tree limb fell on the then-26-year-old attorney as he was jogging in Houston in 1984. He has used a wheelchair since then.

After intense backlash, Crockett denied that the insult was in reference to Abbott's wheelchair use.

"At no point did I mention or allude to his condition," the Democratic firebrand wrote on social media. "I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition."

In his first national interview about the apparent jab, Abbott instead spent much of his response highlighting his state's growth and business successes, while also alluding to high-profile campaigns Democrats have unsuccessfully mounted in the Lone Star State in recent years.

"It's one reason why Texas is going to remain red and why Republicans are going to continue to win elections across the country," Abbott told Hannity. "The bottom line is that Republican states like Texas are leading the way."

"And with comments like this by Democrats, we will just leave them in the dust in future elections," he added.

Democrats have struggled to expand their standing in Texas, mounting multiple statewide campaigns that drew national interest but were ultimately Republican victories.

Former Congressman and one-time Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke built a massive campaign war chest in his 2022 campaign against Abbott. The Republican governor, in the end, handily defeated O’Rourke by double digits, 55 percent to 44 percent.

Last year, former Democratic Rep. Collin Allred lost his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a 53 percent to 45 percent vote, despite polls suggesting a narrow race through the campaign.