Hinojosa leans on Rio Grande Valley roots in battle with Abbott

Houston Chronicle · Jeremy Wallace · 2026-10-27 11:00 UTC

Voter turnout in the Valley is already 63% higher than it was four years ago at this point.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa has created a buzz in the Rio Grande Valley that Juanita Reyna has never seen before.

With polls showing Hinojosa and Gov. Greg Abbott in a tight race heading into Nov. 3, people are starting to believe a kid from the Valley just might make it to the governor's mansion – something that has never happened in Texas history.

“She’s from here,” Reyna said outside of a polling site in the small town of Progreso, just two miles from the Texas border. “She’s from our town. From our home. It does matter to people here.”

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