Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott for governor Tuesday, denying the Republican a record fourth term and triggering a political earthquake in a state that has not seen a Democrat sit in the governor’s mansion this century.
Abbott conceded at 10 p.m. at his results watch party. He said he had just gotten off the phone with Hinojosa to congratulate her.
“I love our state. It has been an honor to serve it. And know that we are leaving Texas in far better shape than it’s ever been. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot,” he said.
With a populist campaign promise to revitalize public schools and purge state government of undue corporate and billionaire influence, Hinojosa overcame a more than four-to-one spending disparity to topple the three-term Republican incumbent as part of a blue wave that washed over a long drought-ridden state for Democrats.
Though he launched his reelection bid with the power of incumbency, seemingly limitless fundraising and extensive party infrastructure in place, Abbott was ultimately unable to withstand the intense political headwinds facing the GOP this cycle.
Democrats not only won the Texas governor’s race, but also lieutenant governor, attorney general, agricultural commissioner, railroad commissioner, multiple state supreme court and state board of education seats, and flipped the Texas House blue. We’re facing an entirely new state government in Texas and I’m here for it.
Texas is now a Blue state, and if it holds for the 2028 election, the impact on the Electoral College will be HUGE. The three biggest states are California, Texas, and Florida, and if Texas goes Blue, it will be almost impossible for Republicans to win the Electoral College ever again. Add Ohio to that, and the Republicans are really screwed.
We definitely have to keep up the momentum and keep fighting, though
Republicans have spent so long holding back the will of the people in Texas.
The dam finally burst.
That is the most amazing thing. I could have never imagined that happening. I’ve been away from Texas for over a decade now.
I really wish they would issue term limits for governor. I was pissed even more a Rick Perry when he anointed Wheels to take his place. I know Perry was just given the job when Bush left, and then he was about to hold that role until he decided he wanted to pretend to be a presidential candidate.
Railroad commissioner is a really important one out here. The democrats managed to seize the real power positions, and the effect will be noticeable.
RR commissioner is impotant, but Lt Governor is the most important role in Texas. Hopefully they can pass a few needed reforms when the house decides to meet. It’s insane how inefficient Texas state government is.
As of this comment the Texas Tribune is tracking the state house at 68 to 56, with 26 still undecided.
https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-general-election-live-results-2026/#texas-house
The Texas Tribune is going by official projections issued by the AP. The AP didn’t call some races last night until well after the losers had conceded. For many of these House races, the outcomes are almost certain, just not quite certain enough for the AP to make the official call
Didn’t they restructure the districts in Texas, too?
Yes. Even gerrymandered as they are, Texas is probably sending one more Democrat to the House of Representatives than in 2024. That it wasn’t worse for them is probably the closest thing to a silver lining the Republicans have in Texas this year.
The one thing that Democrats need to understand is that this is now a purple state, not a red one. in 2028 we’ll likely see Republicans who aren’t “frothing at the mouth” racist, and while the statewide officeholders will have more time to show results, there’s no guarantee that the state votes blue in the next presidential election.
All that said, between Musk and a pair of Christofascist oil billionaires, we in Texas were up against it, and I’m extremely happy there’s some sanity and some proof that money has diminishing returns.
Corrupt Republican regime legacy in Texas, not just gerrymandered, they also made it one of the hardest places to vote in the country. Houston, specifically, has the most suppressive access. The big impact, is national GOP party will have to move to center to be competitive (TX must have for them). The center where politicians just quietly supported militarism for Israel is now toxic.
FL and MS close with no money invested is an electorate that will blame GOP that tolerate Trump for continued problems in 2028 cycle. Even if Zionist supremacist media tries to blame problems in 2028 on congress (they’re doing that this morning), it can’t possibly work.
now they can start intergrating the power grid, and reversing the gerrymandered districts.