AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — In a stunning upset, Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in an upset that catapulted a decided underdog to national prominence, leading the nation's most populous red state.
She will become Texas' first Latina governor — and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s — following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation's most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state’s shift to an emerging battleground.
Her victory served as validation for Democrats' long-deferred dream that demographic changes in the state would be followed by a shift in political power. It also elevated Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state legislator from a liberal Austin district since 2017, into a breakout Democratic star, even as she did not have significant support from the national party for her campaign.
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Jumping in the race with little money or name recognition, Hinojosa engineered a plucky and populist challenge, railing against artificial intelligence data centers and corruption to down Abbott. She also proved that money in politics has clear limits. Billionaire Elon Musk had spent tens of millions of dollars to back Republicans, and Abbott's campaign had spent $180 million since last year in what was thought to be a safe path to a fourth term.
But Hinojosa proved durable while simultaneously riding the tailwinds of Democrat James Talarico's hard-charging U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Ken Paxton, one of the nation's marquee races.
Just two years after Trump carried the state by double digits, the upset is also a stark reflection of how a glum national mood dragged down Republicans even in a stronghold where Democrats had not won in decades.
On a national level, the loss will set off alarms for Republicans, who depend on winning Texas in presidential election years to maintain a path to the White House.
