Abbott tapped into a powerful national conservative movement and his own campaign war chest to turn turned legislative races into multimillion-dollar affairs.

After a multiyear battle to pass school choice, a bill establishing a $1 billion voucher program in Texas is days away from becoming law. Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2 last week on an 86-61 vote. A companion bill made its way through the House a week prior with a 144-4 vote.