Stunning upset as governor Greg Abbott loses reelection campaign against Democrat Gina Hinojosa in deep red Texas

Democrat Gina Hinojosa took down three-term incumbent Governor Greg Abbott amid a blue wave that hit Texas in the midterm elections, CNN projected.  

Hinojosa, a 52-year-old State Representative, is the first Democrat to win the governor's race since Ann Richards's win in 1990.

The race had been tighter than expected for Abbott, who was first elected to the governor's mansion 12 years ago in what had been a reliably red state for decades. 

Abbott appeared to be getting dragged down in the polls by fellow Republican, Attorney General Ken Paxton, running for Senate against youthful Democratic state Representative James Talarico. Talarico was projected to win his Senate race minutes ahead of Hinojosa. 

Late last week, Abbott was just three points ahead of Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa, the Real Clear Politics polling average showed, while the same batch of polls showed Talarico narrowly winning.

Millions of dollars flowed into the governor's race in the final weeks, with Abbott raising $26 million from September 25 through October 24, The Texas Tribune reported. 

Hinojosa consistently ran a few points behind James Talarico, who beat Ken Paxton to flip the state's junior Senate seat blue, but held on to take down the Donald Trump-endorsed Abbott. 

Hinojosa deflected Abbott's attacks on culture war issues by pivoting to personal liberty issues, including campaigning against Flock cameras.  

Democratic nominee for Texas governor, state Representative Gina Hinojosa speaks at a campaign rally in Dallas, Texas on Thursday. Polling showed her in spitting distance of unseating incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott talks to reporters after casting his ballot during the first day of early voting in Del Valle, Texas

Distrust in the cameras and their lack of regulation has been felt across both political parties, but in Texas particularly harnessed by Hinojosa. 

Through ads and in interviews, Hinojosa has pinned the proliferation of Flock cameras on Abbott, pointing to the state funding and DPS' use of the cameras as key examples of his influence.

'It's the governor's agencies that answer to him, who are sending out this money and paying for these Flock cameras across the state,' Hinojosa said in a September interview with the Tribune prior to Flock's extensions.

Hinojosa, who was first elected to the Texas House 10 years ago and represents a section of liberal Austin, deflected the culture war attacks with a campaign ad. 

'They want to run an entire campaign saying I'm too woke. I plan to spend an entire campaign focused on the fact that working people are too broke,' Hinojosa said in a spot released in September. 

'I'm Gina Hinojosa. My pronouns are mom, Texan and soon-to-be governor,' she said.      

She also called out Abbott for refusing to debate her. 

The Democrat has also criticized Abbott over his support for school vouchers, saying it impacts rural Texas public schools. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott appears at a Texas NCAA college football game ahead of Election Day 

A neon sign shows the face of Democratic candidate for Texas governor, state Representative Gina Hinojosa, at Voto Latino's 'Ready, Go, Vote,' campaign rally in Weslaco, Texas, last week

Hinojosa's rise also forced Abbott to pivot on his previous support for data centers. 

Abbott called for an audit on proposed data center projects and a pause on connecting them to the state's electric grid.   

Ahead of Election Day, Hinojosa went to court in her capacity as a state legislator in an effort to unredact communications between Abbott and Elon Musk, whose businesses, including SpaceX, are based in the state. 

Since backing Trump in the 2024 election and his stint at the top of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has become a boogeyman for Democrats.

'Greg Abbott is embarrassed that those emails are going to show that he sold us out,' Hinojosa said on the campaign trail.  

Trump has name-dropped Abbott during his recent campaign stops in Texas, but has mainly focused on Paxton's race, where the prospects looked more dire. 

Ahead of election day, Abbott traveled to all corners of Texas in an effort to boost turnout.

The tour was entitled 'Let's Roll,' a clever play on the fact that the governor has used a wheelchair since he was in an accident in the 1980s. 

Democratic candidate for Texas governor, state Representative Gina Hinojosa, speaks at Voto Latino's 'Ready, Go, Vote,' campaign rally in Weslaco, Texas, last week 

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His campaign also handed out 'Governor Hot Wheels' bumper stickers after Democratic Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett gave him that nickname, which she said was not referring to his disability. 

On the trail, Abbott touted an 'affordability agenda,' promising policies would bring down the cost of living by more than $4,000 annually per Texas family. 

But he also beat up Hinojosa on social issues. 

'She's promoting young children changing their sex,' he said at a campaign stop in Beaumont in mid-October. 'That's crazy.' 

'She even wanted to allow our public schools to transition the sex of our children behind their parents' backs,' he continued. 

More recently, Abbott claimed that children under the Democrats were being 'transgendered' at school.