Gov. Greg Abbott has called state Rep. Gina Hinojosa to concede in the race for Texas governor. The Associated Press has also called the election for Hinojosa.
Hinojosa will end the last 32 years of Republican control of the governor’s mansion and will be the state’s first Hispanic governor.
Abbott thanked his supporters and said he would help Hinojosa and her team through their transition to governor.
“Before coming up here right now, after looking at all the details of every county in the entire state, I made the decision to go ahead and call Gina Hinojosa and congratulate her on winning this race for governor of the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically we are not going to be able to win this election.”
Hinojosa, a government and Plan II alum, started the race as an underdog. Abbott had dispatched his previous three opponents by wide margins and entered the race with a massive fundraising advantage. However, Hinojosa’s campaign focused on education and data centers to oust the incumbent.
Hinojosa’s campaign was not the only Democratic victory statewide, as the Associated Press has called James Talarico’s victory against Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race.
Hinojosa began her public service career on the Austin Independent School District board. Her career continued into the Texas House of Representatives where Hinojosa represented UT’s district for nine years.
Hinojosa’s opponent, Abbott, was running to serve a fourth consecutive term as Texas governor. His last day in office will be in January. Abbott’s campaign focused on property tax reform and lowering costs.
The campaign was hard-fought from both parties, and involved a Hinojosa request to view communications between Abbott and tech executive Elon Musk. The campaign also involved Abbott developing an app that allowed voters to see whether or not their phone contacts had voted, Hinojosa showing up in front of the governor’s mansion with a podium after Abbott refused to debate and both candidates campaigning at University tailgates.
As governor, Hinojosa will have the power to appoint thousands of state officials, sign and veto bills and issue disaster declarations. Through his time as governor, Abbott has expanded executive power and the role of the Texas executive. Hinojosa will be able to leverage the veto in the next legislative session as Republicans were unable to garner ⅔ of the seats in both houses of the Texas legislature.
