Democrat Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott In Texas Governor Race
Democrat Gina Hinojosa has unseated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the Texas governor's race, CBS News projected Tuesday night, ending more than three decades of uninterrupted GOP control of the office.[1]
The projection came as votes were still being counted across the state, with Hinojosa defeating an incumbent who was seeking a fourth term after first taking office in January 2015.[1] Her victory makes her the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since Ann Richards, who served from 1991 to 1995, signaling a dramatic political shift in a state that has been a cornerstone of Republican power in national politics.[1]
Hinojosa, a state legislator from Austin, centered her campaign on rising living costs and public education, promising to tackle housing and property tax pressures while opposing Abbott's long-running push for a statewide school voucher program.[1] She backed higher teacher pay and changes to Texas' high-stakes standardized testing system, arguing that Abbott had prioritized private school subsidies over neighborhood public schools and contributed to teacher shortages and classroom overcrowding.[1]
Abbott entered the year as a heavy favorite, bolstered by more than a decade in office and a Republican hold on the governorship dating to 1995, but the race tightened in the final months.[1] An August poll from the University of Texas at Austin still showed him leading Hinojosa 45% to 40%, with 10% of likely voters undecided, underscoring how many Texans were open to changing course late in the campaign.[1]
The outcome will reverberate well beyond Austin, as Democrats look to Hinojosa's win as a potential blueprint for competing in other Republican-leaning states by foregrounding affordability issues and local schools over national culture-war fights. Her governorship will immediately test whether a Democrat can translate a breakthrough win in Texas into durable party gains down-ballot and into future election cycles.
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📌 Key Facts
- CBS News projected on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in the Texas governor's race.
- Hinojosa is the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since Ann Richards, who served from 1991 to 1995.
- Abbott, in office since January 2015, was seeking a fourth term and had maintained GOP control of the governorship since 2015 and his predecessors since 1995.
- Hinojosa campaigned on affordability and public education, opposing Abbott's school voucher program and backing higher teacher salaries and testing changes.
- The race became competitive late, with an August University of Texas at Austin poll showing Abbott leading 45% to 40% with 10% undecided.
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