By Arlette Saenz
Democrat Gina Hinojosa will become the first Latina governor of Texas, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, ending the more than three-decade Republican hold on the seat.
Hinojosa, a 52-year-old state lawmaker and attorney, defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a mainstay of Texas politics who was seeking a fourth term. She will be the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in 1990 and only the third woman to hold the position.
Hinojosa tapped into voter discontent over the economy and data centers. The former school board president also made improving Texas public schools a key pillar of her platform.
Hinojosa represents an Austin district but is originally from Brownsville in the Rio Grande Valley, an area where Democrats hoped to regain support after Latino voters there shifted toward President Donald Trump in the last election.
A Democratic win in the Texas governor’s race once seemed far-fetched. Abbott, who has served as governor since 2015, had a sizable war chest and a strong political network in a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.
The-CNN-Wire
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