Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sounds like he's running for reelection against state Rep. James Talarico.

"He's crazy, and we are not going to allow the Talarico takeover of the state of Texas," Abbott said last week during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine. "We're going to keep Texas red. We're going to safeguard the values that keep Texas Texas."

Abbott's opponent in the November general election is state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin, not Talarico, who is the Democratic Senate nominee.

The governor doesn't mention Hinojosa's name on the campaign trail, and when his team is asked questions about his opponent, the initial response is, "Who?"

Abbott's attacks on Talarico have a broader political purpose. It's part of a Republican strategy to blunt Democratic momentum and shield their candidates from headwinds the party faces in the midterm elections.

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Abbott is developing his most prodigious campaign since taking office in 2015. He started the year with over $100 million in his campaign fund. With that money, he'll unleash an army of campaign field workers backed by a traditional and digital media campaign.

While Abbott doesn't think Hinojosa is a threat, he's concerned down-ballot Republicans could get washed away in a blue wave. Attacking Talarico, who will have more money, resources and name recognition than any other Democratic candidate, is a top priority of Republican leadership inside and outside of Texas.

Michael Adams, a pollster and public affairs professor at Texas Southern University, said Republicans have staged early attacks on Talarico's progressive religious views, Texas House votes on culture war issues and old comments telling Texans to stop eating meat to curb climate change.

"It's a concerted effort by Republicans to tear down Talarico," Adams said. "Abbott doesn't see Gina Hinojosa as an opponent, so that allows him to add to the arsenal that will be used to hold the Senate seat and protect down-ballot Republicans."

Talarico's campaign did not comment on Abbott's remarks. In the past, he's predicted Republicans would try to distort his record. "They're hoping Americans care more about culture wars than actual wars. More about pronouns than prices," Talarico said on X. "We're not falling for it."

Hinojosa echoed Talarico's comments.

"Once again, Greg Abbott is trying to distract us using culture wars with one hand while he takes our money with the other," she said in a statement.

History shows why Republicans are concerned.

In 2018, the first midterms with Trump in the White House, Republicans lost 12 seats in the Texas House and two congressional districts, including District 32 in the Dallas area.

The 2018 carnage could have been worse for the GOP if not for Abbott.

He was running for reelection against former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, who raised just over $1 million for her underdog campaign. Abbott ran a robust campaign and helped U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz win a close reelection fight against Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

Dave Carney, Abbott's chief political strategist, said the governor's campaign "feels responsible" for helping Texas legislative and congressional candidates win elections.

"The Senate race is also important," Carney said. "We're going to do our best to turn out our coalition. It will be a bigger campaign than last time."

The winner of the Republican runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will face Talarico in November. Abbott's campaign resources would help either candidate, particularly Paxton, who has struggled to raise campaign dollars at the pace of his rival.

Abbott's efforts to keep Texas red are in concert with attempts by national Republicans to use the Lone Star State to help the GOP and Trump maintain control of the U.S. House and Senate.

Over the past year, Republicans have sought to improve their chances in the November elections by:

Redrawing Texas' congressional boundaries in an effort to flip up to five Democratic congressional seats.

Possibly having a midterm National Republican Convention this September in Dallas.

Launching early attacks on U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Talarico as they competed for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Since the Civil War, the party that controls the White House has held the House after midterm elections only three times - 1934, 1998 and 2002.

In 1934, the Great Depression was instrumental in Franklin D. Roosevelt holding the House. The failed impeachment attempt against Bill Clinton helped him in 1998, and George W. Bush and Republicans were strong after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Democrats hope Trump's low approval ratings in polls will prevent him from bucking history, but Abbott is doing all he can to make it a banner year for the GOP.