I had the opportunity to sit down with Texas Democratic Nominee for Governor Gina Hinojosa. While James Talarico has (rightly) garnered immense attention in his race against Ken Paxton, Gina’s run against Greg Abbott deserves no less attention. When I first heard of Gina’s campaign, I felt both comforted to see a dynamic Latina woman running for the highest office in Texas, and questions whether it was a losing battle because she was facing an insurmountable challenge. Abbott has been in statewide politics for 30 years. He has $100M war chest. He has Trump’s backing. Surely he could not be toppled, right?
What I’ve learned by watching Gina’s campaign and speaking with her directly has left me a believer—Gina can will win, and Greg Abbott is scared. He should be, and here’s what Gina’s path to victory looks like. Let’s Address This.
The Interview
First, take a minute to watch my interview in studio with Gina Hinojosa. One note that impressed me was her appeal to conservative voters without compromising her commitment to Democratic voters. Watch and I think you’ll see what I mean.
The Recap
From data centers, to maternal health, to marijuana criminalization, to a complete failure of infrastructure and collapse of public education—Greg Abbott has failed in every way imaginable. Abbott is not a man of conviction, but capitulation to Trump’s failed economic policies. Gina Hinojosa has demonstrated throughout her career that she will continue to show up for working class people. And this matters immensely right now, perhaps more than ever.
The next Governor of Texas will control redistricting at the 2030 census. With population growth in Texas, it is entirely possible that Texas increases its Congressional footprint, and the next Governor controls nearly 10% of US Congress. If Abbott is that Governor, he will gerrymander Texas to eliminate any Black and Latino representation. He’s already shown us who he is by shutting down thousands of polling locations and purging voter rolls. If he wins again, we are facing a near total elimination of Black and brown representation in Congress from Texas. That is not acceptable.
But we have hope.
The latest polling shows us that Gina has a clear path to victory. For example, even the latest Republican internal for taken 9/10-9/15 shows that for Texas statewide races in 2026:
US Senate
🟦James Talarico 52%
🟥Ken Paxton 41%
—
Texas Governor
🟦Gina Hinojosa 49%
🟥Greg Abbott 40% (incumbent)
—
Texas Lt. Governor
🟦Vikki Goodwin 46%
🟥Dan Patrick 43% (incumbent)
This is a seismic shift in support made possible by an excellently run campaign committed to the issues working people care about—affordability, clean water, air, and land, and an electrical grid that actually works. Abbott has failed on all three, and Gina, James, and Vikki are making good on promises for all three.
Conclusion
Share this with your family and friends in Texas. Polling has Gina in a position to win, but polling does not vote. People vote. The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day November 3 when all the votes are counted. Organize your network in Texas, get people registered and to the polls, and let’s do what many think is impossible—flip Texas blue. As Nelson Mandela once famously said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.” Let’s do the impossible and get this done. Let’s elect Gina Hinojosa as the next Governor of Texas.
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Though I'm from Ohio, not Texas, she still has my support.