Democratic state Representative Gina Hinojosa has defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott in a major upset in Texas, ending the party’s decades-long hold on the state’s governorship.
The 52-year-old Democrat becomes the first candidate from her party to win the Texas gubernatorial election since Ann Richards secured victory in 1990.
Hinojosa’s victory came amid a wider Democratic surge across Texas during the midterm elections, with Republicans also facing setbacks in other major contests.
Abbott, who first won the governorship 12 years ago, had been seeking another term in a state that had remained firmly Republican for decades.
Abbott’s Campaign Faced Growing Pressure
The governor’s re-election campaign became increasingly competitive in the final weeks before voting, with polling suggesting a much closer contest than anticipated.
RealClearPolitics’ polling average showed Abbott leading Hinojosa by just three percentage points late last week.
The same group of polls indicated that Democratic state Representative James Talarico was narrowly ahead of Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate contest.
Abbott’s campaign also faced pressure from Paxton’s increasingly difficult Senate race, which appeared to affect the broader Republican position in Texas.
Despite Hinojosa consistently trailing Talarico in the polls, she ultimately secured enough support to defeat Abbott.
Trump Blames Abbott for Republican Defeat
President Donald Trump responded to Abbott’s defeat by directly criticising the outgoing governor, blaming his political decisions for the election result.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump argued that Abbott would have won had he not changed his political approach during the final six months of his campaign.
“If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost,” Trump wrote.
“He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!”
Trump also launched a broader criticism of Republican candidates following confirmation of the results in the House and Senate races.
He maintained that Republicans would have achieved a landslide victory if he had appeared on the ballot.
Hinojosa Focused Campaign on Personal Liberty and Flock Cameras
During the campaign, Hinojosa repeatedly redirected attention from Republican attacks on cultural issues towards personal liberty, government oversight and the cost of living.
One of her major campaign issues was the growing use of Flock surveillance cameras across Texas.
The cameras have attracted criticism from people in both political parties over privacy concerns and the lack of regulation governing their use.
Hinojosa blamed Abbott for their expansion, pointing to state funding and the involvement of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
In a September interview with The Texas Tribune, she said the governor’s agencies were responsible for distributing money and paying for the cameras across the state.
She also used campaign advertisements and public appearances to highlight her opposition to the surveillance system.
Democrat Challenges Abbott Over Cost of Living and Education
Hinojosa, who was first elected to the Texas House a decade ago and represents part of liberal Austin, also made economic concerns a central feature of her campaign.
In a September advertisement, she responded to Republican accusations that she was too progressive by focusing on the financial difficulties facing working families.
“They want to run an entire campaign saying I’m too woke.
I plan to spend an entire campaign focused on the fact that working people are too broke,” she said.
She added: “I’m Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are mom, Texan and soon-to-be governor.”
The Democrat also criticised Abbott’s support for school vouchers, arguing that the policy affected public schools in rural communities.
She repeatedly challenged the governor over his refusal to debate her during the election campaign.
Data Centres and Musk Communications Become Election Issues
Hinojosa’s campaign also put pressure on Abbott over his previous support for data centre developments in Texas.
As the race intensified, Abbott changed his position, calling for an audit of proposed data centre projects and a pause on connecting them to the state’s electricity grid.
Before Election Day, Hinojosa also went to court in her capacity as a state legislator, seeking the release of previously redacted communications between Abbott and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Musk’s businesses, including SpaceX, have significant operations in Texas.
Hinojosa accused Abbott of withholding information that could reveal the nature of his dealings with Musk.
“Greg Abbott is embarrassed that those emails are going to show that he sold us out,” she said while campaigning.
Abbott Takes Affordability Message Across Texas
In the run-up to the election, Abbott travelled across the state in an effort to strengthen Republican turnout.
His campaign tour, called “Let’s Roll”, included visits to different parts of Texas ahead of voting day.
The governor, who has used a wheelchair since an accident in the 1980s, also distributed bumper stickers bearing the nickname “Governor Hot Wheels”.
The nickname had previously been used by Democratic Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett, who said it was not intended as a reference to Abbott’s disability.
Abbott’s campaign also promoted an affordability agenda, promising policies that he said would reduce the annual cost of living for Texas families by more than $4,000.
Governor Attacks Hinojosa Over Social Issues
Alongside his economic message, Abbott repeatedly targeted Hinojosa over her positions on social and cultural issues.
During a campaign appearance in Beaumont in mid-October, he accused her of supporting policies that would allow young children to change their sex.
“She’s promoting young children changing their sex,” Abbott said.
“That’s crazy.”
He also claimed that Hinojosa wanted public schools to facilitate changes to children’s sex without informing their parents.
More recently, Abbott accused Democrats of allowing children to be “transgendered” in schools.
Despite the governor’s repeated attacks, Hinojosa went on to defeat him, securing a historic Democratic victory in the Texas gubernatorial election.
