Who is Gina Hinojosa and what is Hinojosa running on in the 2026 Texas Governor race?

Gina Hinojosa is the Democratic candidate for Texas governor. State representative (House District 49, Austin) since 2017; lawyer and former Austin ISD school board member. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Incumbent Greg Abbott (R) seeking a fourth term.
• Rating: Likely R (Cook, Inside Elections).
• Polling: Recent range: Hinojosa 49, Abbott 46 (Marist, Sept 17 to 20, 2026); Abbott 50, Hinojosa 46 (Texas Public Opinion Research, Sept 19 to 22, 2026).

Why Hinojosa is behind

• Abbott is a three-term incumbent with a huge war chest ($67.2M cash on hand vs Hinojosa’s $3M, July 2026), and Democrats have not won statewide since 1990 (per Wikipedia).
• September polls are split, from Hinojosa +4 (Siena/ReconMR, Marist +3) to Abbott +8 (SoCal Strategies); Hinojosa now leads independents 65 to 27 in Siena’s poll.
• A Democratic-leaning national year and Paxton’s weak Senate campaign are dragging on the GOP ticket.
• Abbott is much better known (99% vs 65% familiarity) and leads white voters and men by wide margins; 62% of voters expect him to win.

What Hinojosa is running on

• Education. End the school voucher program, replace STAAR testing, raise teacher pay and school funding.
• Cost of living. Suspend the state gas tax and send $1,500 rebate checks to households from the rainy-day fund.
• Healthcare. Crack down on ‘profit-over-patients’ practices, including private equity ownership in health care.
• Data centers. Moratorium on new data centers, saying they shift costs onto residents.
• Corruption. Accuses Abbott of years of corruption and promises to end it.
• Voting. Opposes voting restrictions and partisan gerrymandering; led 2021 and 2025 legislative walkouts.

In Hinojosa’s own words

“We’re building real momentum in this race because Texans want change.”

The other candidates

• Greg Abbott (R)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.