Democrat Gina Hinojosa has defeated three-term Texas Governor Greg Abbott, ending his bid for an unprecedented fourth term and breaking the Republican hold on the state’s top executive office. Hinojosa will become Texas’s first Latina governor, in what the account describes as Democrats’ most consequential victory in the state in a generation.
“We shocked the world tonight,” Hinojosa told supporters after the race was called. She said Abbott had phoned to congratulate her and offered to help with the transition. Abbott conceded in his election-night remarks, thanking supporters after 12 years as governor.
Hinojosa, a five-term state representative from Austin and former Austin school board president, entered the race with little national attention after other prominent Democrats declined to challenge Abbott. The contest later tightened, with some polls showing the candidates neck and neck.
Public education helped draw Hinojosa into the race, while her campaign also emphasized affordability and opposition to the expansion of large data centers. She sought to appeal to traditionally Republican voters with an economic message and pushed back against Abbott’s culture-war attacks.
The result marks a major reversal for Texas Democrats, who had not won the governor’s office since Ann Richards was elected in 1990. Abbott, a conservative ally of Donald Trump, had held a substantial fundraising advantage and had previously defeated Democratic challengers, including Beto O’Rourke in 2022.
The election also brought other Democratic victories in the state: James Talarico won a US Senate seat against Republican attorney general Ken Paxton, while Democrat Nathan Johnson was elected to succeed Paxton. Trump responded to the results on Truth Social, distancing himself from the losses and criticizing Abbott, whom he had previously endorsed.
Sources: The Guardian World.