Democrat Gina Hinojosa elected Texas’ first Latina governor, ousts Republican incumbent Greg Abbott

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and catapulting a decided underdog to the helm of what has long been the nation’s most populous red state.

She will become Texas’ first Latina governor — and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s — following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation’s most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state’s shift to an emerging battleground.

Her victory was part of an electrifying night for Democrats in Texas, where James Talarico also won election, defeating Republican Ken Paxton in the race for the U.S. Senate.

Hinojosa’s win served as validation for Democrats’ long deferred dream that demographic changes in the state would be followed by a shift in political power. It also elevates Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state legislator from a liberal Austin district since 2017, into a breakout Democratic star, even as she did not have significant support from the national party for her campaign.

“It never bothered me that they doubted me. It bothered me that they doubted us,” Hinojosa told supporters at her victory party in Austin. “Texas, my faith in you never wavered.”

Jumping in the race with little money or name recognition, Hinojosa engineered a plucky and populist challenge, railing against artificial intelligence data centers and corruption to down Abbott. She also proved that money in politics has clear limits. Billionaire Elon Musk had spent tens of millions of dollars to back Republicans, and Abbott’s campaign had spent $180 million since last year in what was thought to be a safe path to a fourth term.

But Hinojosa proved durable while simultaneously riding the tailwinds of Talarico’s hard-charging Senate campaign, one of the nation’s marquee races. Just two years after Trump carried the state by double digits, the upset is also a stark reflection of how a glum national mood dragged down Republicans even in a stronghold where Democrats had not won in decades.

Trump blamed Abbott for the loss in a striking criticism of one of his staunchest supporters, accusing him of becoming a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, in the last months of the race. “He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!” Trump posted on social media.

Abbott, who had been seeking a record fourth term, said he called Hinojosa and pledged to help her transition into office.

“Leading this state has been the greatest honor I’ve ever had,” Abbott told supporters as he conceded the race.

On a national level, the loss will set off alarms for Republicans, who depend on winning Texas in presidential election years to maintain a path to the White House.

The first Democrat elected governor since 1990

How Hinojosa governs is likely to open a dramatic political and cultural shift in the Texas Capitol, which over the last decade has passed one of the nation’s strictest abortion laws and increasingly aggressive immigration crackdowns.

Abbott, who first took office in 2015, won each of his previous races by double digits.

Then came Hinojosa, who started her campaign last year at a time when bigger-name Democrats seemed uneager to wade into the race.

From the start she accused Abbott of prioritizing the wealthy over everyday people and failing to bring down costs. Abbott said Hinojosa wanted to raise taxes and painted her as a radical and a threat to Texans’ way of life.

One of Hinojosa’s earliest campaign pledges was a one-time $1,500 payment to each of the state’s nearly 32 million residents that she called a “Corruption Tax Refund.” She said the money would come from Texas’ massive emergency savings fund.

Hinojosa also seized on growing national rejection of data centers, accusing Abbott of allowing the energy-guzzling server warehouses to multiply. Abbott responded to public anger with a temporary moratorium on new data center approvals.

Hinojosa distanced herself from the progressive label

Hinojosa was once a proud vice chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus and defender of transgender rights, which became a centerpiece of Abbott’s attacks.

She tried to shake off the progressive label throughout the campaign and batted away culture-war issues, presenting herself instead as a populist. Her campaign included ads featuring Republican voters saying they would support her.

At her victory party, Hinojosa told the crowd that “your life can be bigger than your dreams” in a speech that described her upbringing on the Texas-Mexico border and outlined her policy priorities, including fighting for public schools.

“Texas will bow down to no one,” she said.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Elon Musk’s last name.

Jesse Bedayn And Anna Wilder, The Associated Press