USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 July 2025Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott To End 30 Years Of Republican Rule In Texas
“Hinojosa's historic election as the state's first Latina governor represents more than a political victory.”
“Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott in the Texas governor’s race with a campaign primarily focused on improving public education and lowering everyday costs.”
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Gina Hinojosa defeats Greg Abbott to become Texas governor, first Latina governor. Democrats end 30-year Republican dominance in Texas governorship.
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Texas flips blue
Texas elected Gina Hinojosa as governor in 2026, ending more than three decades of Republican control after she defeated Greg Abbott, according to NBC News and Telemundo.
NBC News said the Texas governor race shifted 20.81 points toward Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election, while Telemundo described Hinojosa as the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in the 1990s.
Hinojosa’s win also came as Democrats took a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, with BBC describing James Talarico’s victory as returning a Texas seat in the Upper Chamber for the first time since 1988.
Hinojosa told supporters, “It didn’t bother me that they doubted me. It bothered me that they doubted us,” and she later said she felt “humble and grateful” in Austin after CNN projected her victory.
Musk, data centers, and money
Elon Musk’s political spending faced backlash after Texas flipped, with y a libnan saying Musk spent nearly half a billion dollars to back Republican candidates and keep Texas red. y a libnan reported that shares of SpaceX fell 5.5% and Tesla was down 5.1%, and it quoted Jake Dollarhide warning that a Democratic sweep would “put pressure on tech and potentially bring regulatory pressure on everything AI.”
Hinojosa’s campaign tied the election to AI data centers, and Telemundo said she accused Abbott of allowing “these energy-hungry server warehouses to multiply,” while it said Abbott responded with a temporary moratorium on new data center authorizations. Hinojosa also framed her approach as populist and affordability-focused, and Telemundo quoted her saying, “I plan to devote the entire campaign to emphasizing that working people are hurting.”
What changes next
Hinojosa’s transition plans centered on public education and cost of living, with FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth saying she intends to fire Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath the day she takes office. FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth also said Hinojosa planned an immediate moratorium on AI data centers and described a one-time $1,500 check to Texans using the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
“We will lead with a policy of courage, not convenience.”
The AP account in Proceso said Democrats campaigned on critiques of AI data centers and corruption, and it quoted Hinojosa saying, “We will lead with a policy of courage, not convenience.” Proceso added that Texas Democrats had not won a statewide race since 1994, and it said the election overnight boosted a Democratic resurgence that had spent most of the last 30 years fighting for “crumbs.”
