- Hours after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott attended a campaign fundraiser.
- A spokesperson said "all campaign and political activity" have since been canceled.
- Abbott is seeking a third term as Texas governor, running against Democrat Beto O'Rourke.
Hours after the school shooting in Uvalde on Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott went to a fundraiser for his reelection campaign, according to local reports.
A spokesperson for Abbott's reelection campaign for governor has since said that all "campaign and political activity" has been postponed.
The mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday left 19 children and two teachers dead. The 18-year-old gunman, who purchased two assault weapons days before the shooting rampage, was killed at the scene.
Abbott gave a press conference with details on the shooting on Tuesday afternoon from Abilene, Texas, which is located some 245 miles north of Uvalde. The governor was in the area for a briefing on local wildfires, after which he traveled further east to Walker County, north of Houston, for the fundraiser, his campaign spokesperson said.
"After holding a briefing and press conference on the current wild fires in Taylor County, where he also provided an update the situation in Uvalde, the Governor did stop by a previously scheduled event last night at a private home in Walker County," Abbott campaign spokesperson Mark Miner said in a statement, per The Texas Tribune.
Miner added: "All campaign and political activity, including a scheduled fundraiser for this evening, have postponed until further notice."
On Wednesday, Abbott attended a press conference in Uvalde alongside Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. While answering a question wherein he discussed his schedule on Tuesday, Abbott did not mention attending the fundraiser.
"With regard to yesterday, I was actually in Taylor County responding to a different disaster, a disaster of fires that had ripped through Taylor County and destroyed 20 homes. That is when I learned about the shooting that was taking place pretty much at that time here," Abbott said from Uvalde.
"On the way back to Austin, I stopped and let people know that I could not stay, that I needed to go, and I wanted them to know what happened and get back to Austin so that I could continue my collaboration with Texas law enforcement to make sure that all the needs were being met here in the Uvalde area," he said.
Abbott added: "As far as future plans are concerned, listen, I'm living moment to moment right now. My heart, my head, and my body are in Uvalde right now, and I'm here to help the people that are hurting."
Abbott's Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke, interrupted Abbott earlier in the press conference.
"You're doing nothing. You are offering us nothing. This is totally predictable," O'Rourke said.