Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott to become the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since 1990 — and the state’s first Latina governor.
Gina Hinojosa, 52, spent her career as a labor and civil rights lawyer before voters sent her to the Texas House in 2016. In 2005 she was part of the legal team that sued U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. In Austin she has represented a district in the capital city for nearly a decade, fighting Republican majorities on voting rules, schools and abortion.
Her upset win over Abbott ends more than three decades of Republican control of the governor’s mansion. The last Democrat elected to the job was Ann Richards in 1990.
Hinojosa takes office in a state still run day-to-day by Republican legislative majorities. Watch the fights over public schools and property taxes — and whether her win signals a real shift in Texas politics or a one-cycle protest vote.
Fast facts
- Age: 52
- Party: Democratic
- Office: Governor of Texas
- State: Texas
- Previous job: Texas state representative (since 2017)
- Called by AP: 11:17 p.m. ET, Nov. 3
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
