Gina Hinojosa Enters Texas Governor’s Race: What It Means for 2026
A Legislator with Record Experience Takes on Greg Abbott
In a significant move that reshapes the Democratic primary landscape, Austin state representative Gina Hinojosa announced Wednesday that she is running for Texas governor in 2026.
The five-term legislator and civil rights lawyer officially launched her campaign in her hometown of Brownsville, signaling a direct challenge to Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and his education policies.
Hinojosa’s Political Identity
Hinojosa brings substantial legislative credentials to the race. Since entering the Texas House in 2017, she has authored nearly 100 bills and established herself as a fierce advocate for public education. Her signature issue has been opposing Abbott’s school voucher program, which she argues would devastate Texas public schools. Before her legislative career, she served as an Austin ISD school board member and board president after her son’s elementary school faced closure due to state budget cuts.
Her entry into the governor’s race came after initially considering a run for state comptroller—the office tasked with implementing the state’s $1 billion voucher program. But as Hinojosa explained, she ultimately decided “it’s really Abbott who’s the problem.”
A Growing Democratic Primary
Hinojosa’s campaign announcement expands an already crowded Democratic primary field competing for the chance to face Abbott in November 2026. The field now includes Houston businessman Andrew White (son of former governor Mark White), Bobby Cole (a rancher and retired firefighter), and Bay City Council member Benjamin Flores. White responded to Hinojosa’s entry by calling her a “progressive who represents her district well,” but suggested Democrats need a candidate who can “bring together progressives, moderates and independents to beat Greg Abbott”—an implicit critique of Hinojosa’s more liberal positioning…