Democrats Secure Historic Texas Victories
Gina Hinojosa defeats Greg Abbott for governor, Nathan Johnson wins attorney general race, signalling a significant political shift.
Callum Smith
Texas Democrats achieved historic victories in statehouse and congressional districts.
James Talarico, a Democratic state Representative, secured his Senate race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. This series of wins positions the party to potentially take control of both the Senate and the House.
Hinojosa's victory, improbable only weeks ago, started as a long-shot candidacy. Despite this, some polls showed the race neck-and-neck in the final stages.
Hinojosa campaigned on personal liberty issues. She opposed Flock cameras and criticized school vouchers; she also sought to unredact communications between Abbott and Elon Musk.
Abbott maintained a large financial advantage in the race. He had called for an audit and pause on data center projects connecting to the state's electric grid.
Donald Trump claimed that if Abbott "hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost."
Texas elected its first Latina governor with Hinojosa's win; her mother is an immigrant from Mexico. This follows widespread public pushback against President Donald Trump's handling of his first two years back in office.
Following these election losses, Donald Trump made a public appearance in a ballroom renovation project.