Eight days before Texas voters decide, Democrat Gina Hinojosa is betting that a weariness with both parties can loosen the grip that Republicans have held on the state's governor's mansion for more than three decades. Speaking from a platform of schools, children's health, insurance costs and the unease many rural residents feel about data centers rising on their land, she casts herself less as a partisan than as someone answering a broad, shared frustration with politics as usual. Her challenge to Governor Greg Abbott, who leads in at least one poll, tests whether that frustration can outweig
Hinojosa Says Texans Share 'Deep Disappointment' in Both Parties as She Challenges Abbott
"Nobody wants politics as usual." Hinojosa bets disappointment can beat a 30-year streak.
Mark
Hinojosa says Texans are disappointed in both parties. Why lead with that?
Mimi
Because she's behind and the math demands it. Texas has more registered Republicans than Democrats, so she can't win on Democratic votes alone. Framing her campaign as post-partisan is how she asks Republicans to consider her.
Mark
Which issues is she using to do that?
Mimi
Public schools first, then children's healthcare and insurance premiums. And data centers, which she says even MAGA voters oppose because they're landing in unincorporated rural areas, with worries about water, electricity costs and property rights.
Luke
Careful there. "Nobody's pushing back harder than MAGA" is her characterization. The reporting doesn't offer any evidence of how rural Republicans actually feel.
Mimi
Fair. It's her claim, and it's a pitch as much as a description.
Mark
What about the Musk lawsuit?
Mimi
She's suing to get emails between Abbott and Musk, who has given millions to Abbott's campaign. She says the public needs to know what's going on.
Luke
Worth noting that what the emails contain is unknown. The suit asks for them; it doesn't allege anything specific, at least in what's reported here. And Abbott's statement doesn't respond to it.
Mark
What does Abbott's side say?
Mimi
That education funding is at a record high, teacher pay is up over 30%, and he wants to codify data center guardrails and end sales tax incentives for them.
Luke
Those are the campaign's numbers, offered through a spokesperson. And the 52-48 poll is a single poll, with no details here on who ran it or its margin of error. I'd treat it as a rough marker, not a forecast.
Il Polso
- With one week left, a poll showing Abbott ahead 52% to 48% puts real pressure on a challenger who needs crossover votes to win.
- Hinojosa is pitching a populist message that speaks past party lines, aiming at anger over public schools, insurance premiums and children's healthcare.
- Her lawsuit seeking emails between Abbott and Elon Musk, a major donor, has stirred scrutiny of money and influence in the governor's orbit.
- Abbott's campaign is pushing back with education and cost-of-living claims and a sharp attack on Hinojosa's record, while leaving the Musk lawsuit unaddressed.
- Rural and Republican-leaning voters are the swing ground to watch as data center concerns over water, power bills and property rights meet the final stretch of the race.
Eight days before Texas voters decide, Democrat Gina Hinojosa is betting that a weariness with both parties can loosen the grip that Republicans have held on the state's governor's mansion for more than three decades. Speaking from a platform of schools, children's health, insurance costs and the unease many rural residents feel about data centers rising on their land, she casts herself less as a partisan than as someone answering a broad, shared frustration with politics as usual. Her challenge to Governor Greg Abbott, who leads in at least one poll, tests whether that frustration can outweigh the state's enduring Republican lean, and whether voters will hold the powerful to account in a season when trust in institutions is thin.
On Sunday, with Election Day about a week away, Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa sat down for an interview and made a claim that runs against the usual story of Texas politics: that people across the state feel deep disappointment in both parties. She describes the mood as post-partisan in some ways, and says Texans are hungry for something new. "Right now nobody wants politics as usual," she said. "Most of us see that it is broken."
Hinojosa, 52, is a civil rights and labor lawyer who has represented parts of Austin in the Texas House since 2017. If she wins against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, she would be the first Democratic governor in decades and the first woman to hold the office. The math is steep. One poll has Abbott ahead 52% to 48%, and Republicans outnumber Democrats among registered voters, so any path to victory runs through voters on both sides.
She believes schools are where that crossover is most likely. "There is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools," she said. Her populist platform also centers on children's healthcare and lower insurance premiums, which she presents as common ground rather than a Democratic agenda. She points to data centers as another shared concern, noting that they are mostly going into rural communities, where residents worry about water, electricity costs and property rights.
The campaign has also moved into the courts. Hinojosa has sued to obtain emails between Abbott and Elon Musk, who has given millions to Abbott's campaign. "We need to know what exactly is going on," she said.
Abbott's campaign responded through press secretary Eduardo Leal, who pointed to education goals, data center guardrails, the removal of sales tax incentives for data centers, and efforts to lower costs for working families. He said school funding is at an all-time high and teacher pay has risen more than 30%, then turned to attack Hinojosa's record. The statement did not address the Musk emails.
Hinojosa remains optimistic despite decades of Republican statewide dominance. "Turnout is high, enthusiasm is high on our side," she said. What happens next depends on rural voters and on how Abbott's camp answers the lawsuit before the vote.
On Sunday, with Election Day about a week away, Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa sat down in an interview and made a claim that cuts against how Texas politics is usually described: that people across the state feel "deep disappointment in both political parties." She called the path that follows from that "post-partisan in some ways," and said Texans are looking for something new. "Right now nobody wants politics as usual," she said. "Most of us see that it is broken."
Hinojosa, 52, is challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. She is a civil rights and labor lawyer who has represented parts of Austin in the Texas House since 2017. If she wins, she would be the first Democratic governor and the first woman to lead the state from the governor's mansion in three decades. The arithmetic is steep. One poll had Abbott ahead of her 52% to 48%, and Texas has more registered Republican voters than Democrats, so a Hinojosa victory would require support from people on both sides of the aisle.
Public schools are where she says that crossover is most likely. "There is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools," she said, adding that saving them is a key part of her agenda and the reason the campaign has resonated. She described her platform as "not a Democratic agenda" but a populist one, built around healthcare access for children and bringing down high insurance premiums.
She also named data centers as common ground. "Nobody's pushing back against the data centers harder than MAGA," she said, because the facilities are mostly going into unincorporated rural communities. In her telling, rural Texas is being taken advantage of, and she listed the concerns: water, electricity costs and property rights. Her answer is to review all of it and make sure Texans are protected and, first of all, have a seat at the table.
The campaign has also moved into the courts. Hinojosa has filed a lawsuit to obtain emails between Abbott and Elon Musk, the CEO of Texas-based Tesla and SpaceX, who has given millions of dollars to Abbott's campaign. "We need to know what exactly is going on," she said of the relationship.
Abbott's campaign answered through press secretary Eduardo Leal, who gave CBS News a statement. He said the governor is focused on making Texas number one in education, codifying his data center guardrails, eliminating sales tax incentives for data centers, and lowering costs for working families. Leal said public education funding in Texas is at an all-time high and average teacher pay has risen by more than 30% under Abbott. He then turned to the challenger: "While Gina Hinojosa continues to run from her disastrous record," he said, Abbott will keep crisscrossing the state to talk directly to voters. The statement as quoted does not address the Musk email lawsuit.
Hinojosa said she is optimistic despite more than 30 years of Republican statewide dominance. "Turnout is high, enthusiasm is high on our side, so we feel really good about where we are," she said.
What to watch in the final week is whether rural and Republican-leaning voters respond to her data center and transparency pitch, and how Abbott's campaign responds to the Musk email lawsuit before the vote.
Citazioni salienti
There is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools.— Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate for Texas governor
While Gina Hinojosa continues to run from her disastrous record, Governor Abbott will continue crisscrossing the state to talk directly to voters.— Eduardo Leal, Abbott's press secretary
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Politics & Governance