State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, would reorient Texas’ focus on education and pocketbook issues. “We need to show people that government can do something to make our lives a little easier,” she said.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
By some measures, Texas is the economic envy of the nation.
Texas boasts the eighth-largest economy in the world, leads the nation in job growth and is home to more Fortune 500 company headquarters than any other state. A trophy case full of Governor’s Cups attests to Texas’ success courting new and expanding businesses.
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Yet too many Texans are not sharing in the prosperity. The Lone Star State has the highest number of people who lack health insurance. While Gov. Greg Abbott touts Texas as the “energy capital of the world,” we lead the nation in the number of people whose utilities get shut off because they can’t afford to keep the lights on.
And even as the state sits on a massive rainy-day fund and can find $1 billion for private school vouchers, Texas ranks in the bottom 10 states in per-student funding for public schools, a glaring failure to invest in tomorrow’s workforce.
Abbott, who is seeking a historic fourth term, has spent tens of millions of dollars on TV and digital ads telling voters Texas is on the right track.
But Texans heading to the polls Nov. 3 should ask a more basic question: Is this Texas working for them?
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The governor’s race pits Abbott against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa and Libertarian Pat Dixon. Austinites know Hinojosa as a fierce advocate for public education, at first on the Austin school board and then for a decade in the statehouse. We strongly recommend Hinojosa as the fresh leadership needed to ensure state government works for the benefit of Texans.
“After 30 years of one-party control, and 12 years of Greg Abbott, there’s just been no accountability, and we need to bring that back to government,” Hinojosa told our Editorial Board.
ALSO READ: How we reach our endorsements — and why your vote is yours
Abbott, who did not meet with us, has repeatedly used the power of his office to advance political priorities while neglecting Texans’ basic needs.
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The governor vetoed funding to feed hungry kids. He shut down access to abortion, which left some women with high-risk pregnancies to suffer or even die without the emergency care they needed. He engaged in cheap theatrics done at real expense to Muslims, migrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
At President Donald Trump’s direction, Abbott set in motion last year’s redistricting gambit to shore up Republican seats in Congress by diminishing the fair representation of Texans.
And the governor dangled incentives and proclaimed “Texas is the epicenter for AI development” — music to the ears of Big Tech developers. Only after people raised concerns about water use, energy use and the compatibility of data centers in their communities did Abbott order a pause on new permits for these digital behemoths.
Arguably the most damage has come from the attacks on public education on Abbott’s watch. Since 2023, more than 170 schools across the state have closed or are in the process of closing, while per-student funding, when adjusted for inflation, remains lower than it was a decade ago. Struggling schools trigger punitive district-wide takeovers by the Texas Education Agency, creating even more disruption for families and teachers.
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Abbott could have pushed to strengthen the public schools that serve 5.5 million students. Instead, he used his bully pulpit to secure $1 billion in private school vouchers for only about 100,000 students.
Abbott focused on helping the few, not the many.
Hinojosa recognizes that opportunity for everyone begins with education, and so would her focus. If elected, she said, she would fire Education Commissioner Mike Morath and launch an efficiency review of contracts at TEA, where a recent audit found stunning administrative bloat that drove up managerial spending 64% in just four years.
Hinojosa would also pause the A-F school accountability system that has become a cudgel against struggling schools. She would reorient the TEA to partner with local school districts that need help, not upend them through state takeovers.
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On affordability and cost of living — the top concerns for half of Texas voters — Abbott and Hinojosa both talk about increasing the state’s contribution to public education so local school property taxes can be lowered and ultimately eliminated. That’s an appealing pitch, although neither one has a realistic plan to fully pay for it. Abbott has suggested the state can tap reserves that will be replenished as the Texas economy keeps growing, while Hinojosa expects to find savings by ending corporate subsidies and cutting unnecessary contracts. Either approach could provide some relief but not enough money to fully cover the cost of running Texas schools — which cannot absorb any more funding cuts.
Abbott has also pitched the disastrous idea of dismantling the service territories for Austin Energy and other municipally owned utilities — a boon to investor-owned utilities at the expense of public utility customers who, on average, pay some of the lowest bills in the state.
At the same time, we urge caution with Hinojosa’s idea to declare a “cost of living emergency” and freeze utility rates. Texans need relief, but emergency powers should be deployed temporarily, as a last resort. Abbott’s years-long emergency declarations at the border stand as a reminder such powers need firm limits.
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With families struggling and Texas’ rainy-day fund topping $27 billion, Hinojosa would also ask the Legislature to fund a one-time $1,500 payment to each Texas household. It’s hard not to wonder why Abbott didn’t think of this downright conservative idea: returning surplus revenue to the taxpayers who provided it.
“We need to rebuild trust,” Hinojosa told us. “We need to show people that government can do something to make our lives a little easier.”
That will take more than campaign promises or even a $1,500 check. But a change in the governor’s mansion would be a good start.
If elected, Hinojosa would be a Democratic governor working with a Republican-majority Legislature — reestablishing a balance of power that could keep both parties in check. Neither could steamroll over the other. That could encourage both parties to govern with an eye toward compromise and the common good.
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Texans would be the beneficiaries.
After 12 years of Abbott’s tenure as governor, Texans deserve a leader who will work to uplift the many, not the few. Hinojosa is ready to bring that change. We recommend voters pick her Nov. 3.