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Abbott Picks Hispanic Republican as His First Nomination as Governor-Elect

Texas Governor-elect Greg Abbott introduced his pick for secretary of state, Judge Carlos Cascos of Cameron County, at the Capitol on Nov. 11, 2014.
Veronica Zaragovia/KUT
Texas Governor-elect Greg Abbott introduced his pick for secretary of state, Judge Carlos Cascos of Cameron County, at the Capitol on Nov. 11, 2014.

Governor-elect Greg Abbott says he has a plan to unite Texas, and it includes whom he appoints to key state offices.

In fact, Abbott began reaching out to minority groups as part of his landslide election victory. He says he’ll continue those efforts to communicate with minorities as governor.

He says he recently attended a Texas Legislative Black Caucus meeting, and he’s picked a Hispanic to be the next secretary of state, pending senate confirmation -- Judge Carlos Cascosof the Rio Grande Valley.

"Someone who can cultivate strong ties along the border as well as strong bonds across the border," Abbott said as one reason for choosing Cascos.

But when it comes to action on immigration, Abbott’s tone changed. He’s against President Barack Obama using what Abbott called "[Obama's] version of dictatorial powers," to change the U.S. immigration system, referring to the president’s talk of using executive action.

"I think any and all possible actions should be taken to try to stop it including legal action," he said.

Abbott says he’s been in frequent touch with Gov. Rick Perry and his staff about transition-based issues. He will be sworn in as governor in January.

Copyright 2014 KUT 90.5

Veronica Zaragovia reports on state government for KUT. She's reported as a legislative relief news person with the Associated Press in South Dakota and has contributed reporting to NPR, PRI's The World, Here & Now and Latino USA, the Agence France Presse, TIME in Hong Kong and PBS NewsHour, among others. She has two degrees from Columbia University, and has dedicated much of her adult life to traveling, learning languages and drinking iced coffee.