Texas Gov. GregAbbott attended a Republican fundraiser the night before testing positive forCOVID-19 .- Social media images and videos show Abbott speaking to a maskless crowd at Heritage Ranch in Texas.
- Abbott recently issued an executive order prohibiting mask and vaccine mandates in the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attended a Republican fundraiser one night before testing positive for COVID-19, according to his campaign's Twitter account.
Abbott attended a fundraiser for the Republican Club at Heritage Ranch on Tuesday where images and videos show him unmasked and hugging, shaking hands with, and speaking to other unmasked attendees at the venue.
-Texans for Abbott (@AbbottCampaign) August 17, 2021
-Texans for Abbott (@AbbottCampaign) August 17, 2021
-Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 17, 2021
A statement from the governor's office said that everyone Abbott was close with has been notified of possible exposure to COVID-19, however, the release did not mention the Heritage Ranch fundraiser. The statement said he did not test positive earlier this week.
"Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms," the Tuesday release said. "Everyone that the governor has been in close contact with today has been notified."
Abbott's personal Twitter account also notes that he met with Jimmie Vaughan, the brother of the late musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, on Tuesday before Abbott's confirmed diagnosis. Neither Abbott nor Vaughan was wearing a mask in the pictures.
-Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 17, 2021
Abbott has vociferously fought against mask and vaccine mandates in Texas and issued an executive order prohibiting businesses and schools from requiring masks or vaccines to enter.
Texas is currently averaging 14,453 new cases per day, according to a seven-day average from the New York Times' COVID-19 case tracker.
Abbott's campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's questions about the fundraiser.