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Gina Hinojosa wins Texas governor's race, ending 31 years of Republican control

Gina Hinojosa wins Texas governor's race, ending 31 years of Republican control

Rule Changes

The Austin state representative beat Greg Abbott and has started a bipartisan transition. Women are poised to hold Texas' top three leadership posts, while Republicans kept the Senate.

4 days ago: Democrats target the voucher program from the comptroller's office

Overview

Updated 3 days ago

Gina Hinojosa, an Austin state representative, defeated Gov. Greg Abbott on Nov. 3, becoming the first Democrat to win the Texas governor's office since 1995 and the state's first Latina governor. She has started a bipartisan transition and named former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes, who helped block Abbott's school voucher plan in 2023, to her team.

Democrats also won the lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller races and took the Texas House for the first time in 24 years. Women are poised to hold the governor's office, lieutenant governor's office and House speakership for the first time, The Texas Tribune reported. Republicans kept a 19-12 Senate majority, and Hinojosa's promises to repeal the voucher program and pause new data centers need action from lawmakers or regulators.

Why it matters

Texas is the largest Republican-run state; a Democratic governor there can veto, appoint and set an agenda, but cannot pass laws alone.

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Key Indicators

1st
First Latina elected Texas governor
Hinojosa takes office in January 2027.
$1B
State money in the private-school voucher program
The program began in 2026 and enrolled about 110,000 students; Hinojosa wants it repealed.
110,000
Students using vouchers in the program's first year
About 110,000 of Texas' more than 5 million schoolchildren got state money for private school.
$17B
Estimated cost of Hinojosa's $1,500 household payments
Her campaign's proposal would draw from the state Rainy Day Fund and needs legislative approval.
40%+
Share of Texans who are Hispanic
Hinojosa is the first person of Hispanic descent to hold the governor's office.
$8.5B
Public-school funding package Abbott signed in 2025
It included teacher pay raises, special education and school safety money.

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People Involved

Gina Hinojosa
Gina Hinojosa
Texas governor-elect; state representative from Austin
Governor-elect; began transition work and named her first team members Nov. 5
 Greg Abbott
Greg Abbott
Republican governor of Texas, 2015–2027
Leaves office January 2027; his office is taking part in the transition and he has not said whether he will call a special session
 James Talarico
James Talarico
U.S. senator-elect from Texas
Won Senate seat on the same night
MM
Mike Morath
Texas education commissioner
Targeted for replacement by Hinojosa
RG
Rep. Vikki Goodwin
Texas lieutenant governor-elect
Defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick; takes office January 2027
SE
Sarah Eckhardt
Texas comptroller-elect
Takes office January 2027; her office runs the voucher program
EB
Ernest Bailes
Former Republican state representative from East Texas; transition team member
Named to Hinojosa's transition team Nov. 5

Organizations Involved

Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
State legislature
Democrats won the House; Republicans hold a 19-12 Senate majority

The Texas Legislature meets in regular session in odd-numbered years and can pass or block the governor's priorities.
TE
Texas Education Agency
State agency
Administers the voucher program, which enrolled about 110,000 students in its first year

The state agency oversees Texas public schools and the new private-school voucher program.

Timeline

2025 November 2026

11 events Latest: 4 days ago Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Democrats target the voucher program from the comptroller's office

    Latest Policy

    Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt, whose office runs the voucher program, says she will audit how the money is spent and release more data. Repeal would still require legislative action.

  2. Women poised to hold Texas' top three leadership posts

    Politics

    The Texas Tribune reports that with Hinojosa elected governor and Vikki Goodwin elected lieutenant governor, women are poised to hold the governor's office, lieutenant governor's office and House speakership for the first time.

  3. Hinojosa names first transition team members

    Transition

    Former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes, former Austin school board trustee Tamala Barksdale and union official Ryan Pollock join the team. Consultant Joe Madden is executive director.

  4. Hinojosa calls for a halt on new data centers

    Policy

    In an interview with CNN, Hinojosa says Texas should stop approving new data centers until the state writes rules to protect residents from water and power costs.

  5. Hinojosa defeats Abbott

    Election

    The Democrat wins the governor's race, ending three decades of Republican control of the office.

  6. Talarico wins U.S. Senate seat

    Election

    Democrat James Talarico defeats Republican Ken Paxton, the party's first Senate win since 1988.

  7. Democrats take other statewide offices and the Texas House

    Election

    Democrats win the lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller races and take the Texas House for the first time in 24 years. Republicans keep a 19-12 Senate majority.

  8. Republicans discuss limiting the new officials' powers

    Politics

    Some Republicans call on Abbott to order a special session restricting the governor's emergency powers before Hinojosa takes office. Senators could also rewrite rules to strip the lieutenant governor's committee control. Abbott has not said he would act.

  9. Voucher program begins with $1 billion

    Policy

    The program starts sending tax money to families for private-school tuition.

  10. Texas creates private-school voucher program

    Legislation

    Lawmakers approve, and Abbott signs, a program letting families use public money for private school.

  11. Abbott signs $8.5 billion school funding package

    Legislation

    The package includes teacher pay raises, special education and school safety money.

Scenarios

1

Republican Senate blocks Hinojosa's agenda

Likely Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: David Crockett of Trinity University and Nancy Sims of the University of Houston, both quoted before the election

Democrats won the Texas House, but Republicans hold a 19-12 Senate majority, so Hinojosa's voucher repeal and $1,500 household payments still need Senate support. If neither passes, her first year is defined by vetoes and appointments rather than new law.

2

Texas scales back or repeals the voucher program

Unlikely Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: Hinojosa's campaign, which made voucher opposition a central pledge

Hinojosa campaigned on repealing the voucher program, but Republicans still hold a 19-12 Senate majority. A partial rollback, such as a cap or an income limit, is more plausible than full repeal.

3

Texas limits new data center construction

Possible Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: Hinojosa's campaign, which promised to halt new data center construction

Hinojosa ran on stopping new data centers, a pledge that drew attention from technology companies. Any limit would need legislative approval or action from state regulators, and the same Republican majority has generally favored industry growth.

4

Republicans strip powers from Hinojosa or Goodwin before January

Possible Resolves by Jan 31, 2027

Discussed by: Republican state senators, including Paul Bettencourt of Houston

Some Republicans want Abbott to call a special session that would limit the governor's emergency powers before Hinojosa is sworn in. Senators could separately rewrite their rules to take committee control from Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin. Abbott has not said he would call a session, and Bettencourt called rules talk premature while declining to rule out limits on Goodwin.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 1990

Ann Richards elected governor (1990)

The Democrat won the Texas governor's race and served one term, presiding over a state government still largely in Democratic hands.

Then

She lost her reelection bid to George W. Bush in 1994.

Now

No Democrat won the governor's office again until 2026.

Why this matters now

Hinojosa is the first Democrat since Richards to win the office, and the comparison sets expectations for how long the win might last.

November 1994

Republican sweep of Texas statewide offices (1994)

George W. Bush defeated Ann Richards, and Republicans won a string of statewide races, ending decades of Democratic dominance.

Then

Republicans took control of the governor's office and other statewide posts.

Now

The party held the governor's office for more than 30 years.

Why this matters now

Hinojosa's win breaks that streak, but Republicans kept a 19-12 Senate majority, which limits what the win changes.

November 2018

Beto O'Rourke's Senate run (2018)

O'Rourke narrowly lost to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, the closest a Texas Democrat had come to a statewide win in years.

Then

He lost the race.

Now

Democrats pointed to it as evidence Texas was competitive, but O'Rourke then lost the 2022 governor's race to Abbott by more than 10 points.

Why this matters now

The 2018 near-miss and 2022 rout show how often Democratic hopes in Texas have faded; 2026 is the first time they converted.

Sources

(15)
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NPR AP News Texas Public Radio Texas Monthly Governing Yahoo Finance Salon The Texas Tribune Texas Metro News USA Today FOX 7 Austin Texas Public Radio Texas Public Radio The Texas Tribune The Texas Tribune