Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor of Texas on Tuesday, defeating three-term Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in a stunning upset that ends more than three decades of GOP control of the state’s highest office.
Hinojosa, a five-term state representative from Austin, will become the first Latina to lead Texas and the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards, who was elected in 1990. With roughly 99 percent of votes counted, she held about 52.8 percent —5,230,908— to Abbott’s 45.7 percent —4,524,948—, according to multiple reports.
Born in McAllen and raised in Brownsville, the 52-year-old Hinojosa emphasized her Rio Grande Valley roots throughout the campaign and in her victory remarks. “I am a daughter of the Rio Grande Valley, where the people embody the work ethic and values of our state, where no one would have imagined that one day, a little girl from the RGV would stand before you here, as the next Governor of the greatest state, Texas,” she told supporters.
In her election-night speech, she declared: “Everything is bigger in Texas – and so is this win. Texas, we have shocked the world tonight. With a Texas chip on our shoulder, we showed that anything is possible. It never bothered me that they doubted me, that they doubted us. Hundreds of millions in attack ads, written off over and over again. Texas, my faith in you never wavered once.”
Hinojosa entered the race as a longshot after other prominent Democrats declined to challenge Abbott, who had never won reelection by fewer than 11 points and enjoyed a large fundraising advantage. She focused on public education—opposing school vouchers and state takeovers of districts—along with affordability and concerns over data centers and corporate influence. She has pledged to fire Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on her first day in office.
She also thanked her family, including her father, former Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, and noted her path from concerned mother and Austin school board member to the Governor’s Mansion. Hinojosa takes office in January 2027.
