Three of the leading Republicans vying to oust Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, took the stage in the Houston metro area to talk policy on Jan. 10. Don Huffines, Chad Prather, and retired Lt. Col. Allen West outlined their positions on abortion, property taxes, spending, education, and the southern border. Abbott, who is seeking a third four-year term, was invited to the roundtable, but declined, according to organizers True Texas Project. All three candidates took more conservative positions than Abbott on the issues addressed and disparaged the governor’s border security initiative Operation Lone Star, which was launched in March 2021. They complained that Abbott has had years to take more action on the border, but has failed to effect any meaningful change. Border Security Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 1.2 million illegal aliens along the Texas–Mexico border in the first 11 months of 2021, according to Customs …