Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott in Texas Governor’s Race
Democrat Gina Hinojosa has defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas’s gubernatorial race, according to an Associated Press call Tuesday night. The result ends a run of Republican governors that began in 1995, when George W. Bush unseated Democratic Gov. Ann Richards. Richards, elected in 1990, had been the last Democrat to win the office. Hinojosa’s victory would also make her the state’s first Hispanic governor. Abbott conceded Tuesday, saying he had congratulated Hinojosa and thanking his family and staff for their support during his 12 years in office. He described serving Texas as an honor.
The outcome followed a campaign in which Abbott spent more than his opponent. According to campaign finance figures reported by the Texas Tribune, Abbott’s campaign spent $281 million from Hinojosa’s entry into the race on October 15, 2025, through the latest reporting period, compared with $36.8 million spent by Hinojosa’s campaign. That put Abbott’s spending at nearly eight times Hinojosa’s total. It also exceeded the $131 million he spent in his 2022 reelection campaign. The figures show a financial gap, although spending alone does not determine an election’s outcome.
Abbott entered the governor’s office in 2015 after winning the 2014 election against Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis by more than 20 percentage points. Before becoming governor, he served on the Texas Supreme Court, following a 1995 appointment by Bush, and later as state attorney general. After the result, President Donald Trump criticized Abbott in a Truth Social post, arguing that changes in the governor’s political approach contributed to his defeat. The gubernatorial result came alongside another Democratic win in Texas: James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump had endorsed, in the U.S. Senate race. Talarico became the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in more than 30 years.