Gina Hinojosa Beats Greg Abbott, Delivering Democrats' Texas Dream

Newsweek · Jennifer Radcliffe · 2026-11-04 04:07 UTC

Democrat Gina Hinojosa pulls a huge upset with a win over Republican Greg Abbott.

Gina Hinojosa, an Austin civil rights attorney and Democratic state representative, made history Tuesday by becoming the first Hispanic governor elected in Texas, ending more than three decades of Republican control over the governor's mansion.

Hinojosa defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott with 54 percent of the vote, delivering Democrats their most significant statewide victory in Texas in a generation and potentially reshaping the state's political future.

"I am a daughter of the Rio Grande Valley," Hinojosa said in her victory speech. "No one would have imagined that one day a little girl from the RGV would stand before you here as the next governor of the greatest state."

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