In new ad, Gov. Greg Abbott highlights his high school job waiting tables

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced his second campaign ad buy this week, unveiling a new video spot harkening back to his days waiting tables to pay for school.

It’s the second ad Abbott has released in as many weeks, and his reelection campaign said it's part of a $4 million buy across all television markets in the state and that it began running Friday.

The ad opens on Abbott, who is sitting at a table at Vernon’s Kuntry Katfish in Conroe and addressing the camera.

“My dad died when I was in high school,” he says. “I had to wait tables at a place just like this to be able to pay for school. It took hard work, but Texas gave me the opportunity to succeed. That’s why as governor I focus on creating jobs for all Texans by investing in education, expanding our energy industry and by keeping taxes low for our families.”

As the Republican governor speaks, the video shows footage of him meeting with students, energy workers and families.

“We are securing the future of Texas so that everyone has the same opportunities that Texas gave me,” he says.

Both Abbott and his Democratic rival Beto O’Rourke have released multiple campaign ads over the past week, striking notably different tones in their messaging. Abbott’s first ad features his wife, Cecilia Abbott, and focuses on his recovery after being struck by a tree and becoming paralyzed in 1984.

O’Rourke released two ads focusing on Texas’ abortion laws on the same day that the state's so-called trigger law increasing civil and criminal penalties for abortion went into effect. The ads seek to paint Abbott and his policies as out of touch with Texas voters.

The latest polling shows Abbott with a 7-point lead over O’Rourke, who is in the middle of a campaign swing that has brought him to far-flung corners of the state.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ad highlights early job waiting tables