Democrat Gina Hinojosa has defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, bringing more than three decades of GOP control over the Texas governor’s office to an end, according to the Associated Press’ race call.
At 52, Hinojosa is set to make history as Texas’ first Latina governor.
Gina Hinojosa’s childhood and education
Gina Hinojosa was born on December 8, 1973, in McAllen, Texas, and spent her childhood in the Rio Grande Valley, largely in Brownsville. She was raised in a politically engaged family, with her father, Gilberto Hinojosa, having previously served as chair of the Texas Democratic Party.
After completing her schooling in Brownsville’s public education system, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1996. She later pursued law at George Washington University Law School, where she earned her law degree in 1999.
Husband and children
Gina Hinojosa is married to John Philip Donisi, an Austin-based lawyer whose professional work includes government, administrative law and real estate matters.
The couple have two sons, Matteo Amador Donisi and Pablo Leonardo Donisi.
Journey into public office
The Texas-native has built a reputation for challenging political corruption and holding public officials accountable. In 2005, she was part of the legal team that brought a money-laundering lawsuit against then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and has remained an active watchdog on corruption within the Texas Legislature.
Also read | Check live coverage of the 2026 US midterm election results here
Her entry into public office came in 2012, when she ran for a seat on the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees after her son’s elementary school faced potential closure amid state budget cuts.
She won the election and went on to serve as the board’s president in 2015, playing a role in preventing school closures. Hinojosa won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2016, representing District 49 in central Austin.
Legislative record and campaign promises
Later, in 2019, she advocated for increased education funding and helped secure an investment of more than $11 billion in Texas public schools.
During her tenure as a five-term member of the Texas House, Hinojosa chaired the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee and made public education funding one of her key priorities.
She also established public benefit corporations in Texas to encourage businesses to use their resources for the wider public good. Additionally, she advanced legislation addressing public safety and expanding benefits for military service members.
Hinojosa campaigned on a populist agenda focused on revitalizing public education and limiting the influence of wealthy donors and corporate interests in state affairs. Despite facing a spending disadvantage of more than four to one, she managed to unseat the three-term Republican governor.
Her win was part of a wider Democratic surge across Texas, where the party had struggled to secure major electoral victories for years.
However, her campaign struggled for months to gain traction, overshadowed by the U.S. Senate race and facing a fundraising disadvantage against both Abbott and the party’s emerging standard-bearer, James Talarico.
Hinojosa’s strong position on data center expansion
Hinojosa has been critical of Abbott over the expansion of data centers, an increasingly contentious issue across Texas, particularly in rural communities.
She called for a temporary halt to new data center permits, alongside reforms to the state’s education accountability system and measures to ease financial pressures on households.
Also read | Trump says he will accept election results as Democrats poised to control US Congress
Her proposal sought to suspend fresh permits until lawmakers put safeguards in place to protect Texans’ water resources, electricity costs, property rights and air quality.