State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, the daughter of a former chair of the Texas Democratic Party, is planning to run for governor, Axios reports.
Hinojosa reportedly told two donors that she’s planning a run against Gov. Greg Abbott, who’s seeking a fourth term in the 2026 election.
An Austin-area Democratic donor who wished to remain anonymous told Axios that Hinojosa sent out an email stating plainly, “I’m running for governor.”
Though Hinojosa’s staff did not respond to Axios’ requests for comment, Austin political consultant David Butts — who advises Hinojosa — told the news site she’s going to formally make the announcement in the next two weeks.
Hinojosa would join an as-yet light roster of Democrats running in the state’s top elected office. Those include Bobby Cole, Nick Pappas and Meagan Tehseldar — none of which are household names, at least not yet.
However, last week, another heir to a political dynasty announced his bid for governor: Andrew White, son of the late Texas governor Mark White.
Hinojosa was elected to her seat in the Texas House in 2016. She won the House seat four years after her father, Gilberto Hinojosa, became chair of the Texas Democratic Party.
Gilberto Hinojosa served in the role for 12 years, resigning suddenly after losing large swaths of his home turf in South Texas in the 2024 election and later blaming the loss on Democrats’ pro-transgender rights stance. After backlash for his remarks and a perceived lack of accountability for his own strategic missteps, Hinojosa stepped down from the role, now held by Kendall Scudder.
By contrast to her father’s tack to the center, Gina Hinojosa is considered one of the most progressive members of the House based on her voting record, according to a 2023 analysis by the Texas Tribune.
During the summer’s special sessions, Hinojosa was one of the loudest voices against Republican redistricting and was among the Democrats who left the state to break quorum. During the spring’s regular session, Hinojosa sparred frequently Abbott over school vouchers.
Even so, Democrats’ chances to win the governorship aren’t looking good, according to political blog, Capitol Inside, which referred to Abbott as an “all-time Texas Goliath.”
Former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke, State Rep. James Talarico, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and others have all weighed potential gubernatorial bids but ultimately decided against it precisely because of the long odds, Capitol Inside reports.
Insiders continue the race for U.S. Senate more competitive due to the scandal-ridden track record of likely frontrunner Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA-adherent in the middle of a messy divorce battle and allegations of a new affair with a married Christian influencer. Yes, we had to specify new because we’ve seen such allegations before.
Talarico recently announced his bid for the Senate, though there’s still no word from O’Rourke’s camp.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
