(WBAP/KLIF) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced his candidacy for a third term as state governor on Saturday, Jan. 8. The Republican governor made the highly-anticipated announcement during a speech at the Hispanic Leadership Convention in McAllen, where he tried to gain the support of the Hispanic population. “The fact of the matter is, the Rio Grande Valley region is truly brimming with promise, opportunity, and hope,” Abbott said. Exit polls show Abbott won 42% of the Hispanic vote in his 2018 campaign, and 44% in his 2014 campaign. The Governor also addressed Texas’ growing economy. “Every year that I’ve been governor, Texas has been named the best state for business in the United States,” Abbott said. He continued to cite the number of economical achievements Texas has accomplished under him as governor, including energy jobs. “Hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs are in the energy sector,” Abbott said. “We cannot allow these leftist promoters of the Green New Deal to destroy those high paying energy jobs.” “One of the reasons I’m running for re-election is to secure the future of those energy jobs in the Lone Star State,” Abbott said. The Governor will be launching a statewide media blitz on Monday, and plans to participate in 60 campaign events by the Republican primaries on March 1.