Texas delivered a political jolt in the US midterms as Democrat Gina Hinojosa toppled incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, media projections showed, handing her party a rare statewide breakthrough in the Lone Star State.
Ms Hinojosa, a 52-year-old attorney and state politician, has been part of a newer crop of Democrats working to win over independents and voters disenchanted by President Donald Trump’s unpopular war in the Middle East and the steep run-up in prices for fuel and everyday goods.
CNN and NBC News called the race for Ms Hinojosa.
In a statement on X, Ms Hinojosa said she intended to govern for all Texans, including those who did not support her at the ballot box.
“There will be no special set of rules for the wealthy and the powerful,” Ms Hinojosa said.
Incumbent Greg Abbott was running for a fourth term and conceded the race
“The trust you have placed in me tonight is not a blank check. It is a sacred responsibility,” she added.
Raised in a Mexican Catholic family near the border, Ms Hinojosa built her campaign around pocketbook issues, centring on the cost of living and promising a moratorium on the construction of new data centres as tech innovators clash with local residents who say they do not want to live near the facilities.
Texas, long considered a Republican stronghold but increasingly diversified, did not break Mr Abbott’s way. The 68-year-old incumbent sought a fourth term and conceded the race last night.
On Truth Social, Mr Trump pinned the defeat on Mr Abbott, writing that he would “become a RINO” – short for Republican in name only – and adding that “it wasn’t pretty.”
