Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would “fully ban Sharia Law” during a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, making the issue a prominent part of his campaign message ahead of the 2026 elections.
Abbott made the remarks on Sept. 10 during the second and final night of the Republican National Committee’s first midterm convention. He presented the upcoming election as a choice between what he called “common sense and crazy.”
“We are not waiting on Washington, D.C.,” Abbott said. “We will fully ban Sharia Law in Texas.” The governor pledged while highlighting legislation and executive actions taken during his administration on border security, voting rules, school choice, foreign land purchases and law enforcement.
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Abbott also pointed to an executive order under which he designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, as terrorist organizations.
The designation has faced legal challenges. FOX 4 reported that a lawsuit has been filed challenging Abbott’s order and noted that CAIR has not been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. The State Department has designated the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood and Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations.
Reuters reported earlier this week that Abbott and other prominent Republicans have criticized Muslim communities and candidates while raising concerns about Sharia courts and what they describe as the influence of radical Islam. The report said the issue has become part of a broader Republican campaign strategy centered on national security and cultural concerns.
At the Dallas convention, Abbott also promoted Texas laws restricting land purchases by entities from countries including China, Russia and Iran. He cited those measures as examples of policies he described as “common sense.”
The governor also accused Democrats of “gaslighting the public about affordability,” even as affordability remains a major concern among voters. Abbott has separately campaigned on measures including eliminating school property taxes, limiting drug costs and requiring data center projects to cover infrastructure and power-generation costs.
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Abbott is seeking a historic fourth term as governor and faces Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa in the November election. Recent polling has shown Hinojosa trailing Abbott, although the race has received increased attention as Democrats seek to make gains in Texas.
Abbott’s remarks also reflect the broader tone of the Republican convention, where speakers repeatedly portrayed the 2026 midterms as a contest over immigration, public safety, cultural issues and the direction of the country. The convention was designed to energize Republican voters ahead of an election in which the party is seeking to maintain control of Congress.