Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
A recent Marist poll showed Democratic candidate for Governor Gina Hinojosa just five points behind Governor Greg Abbott. This is the most competitive bid for re-election Abbott has faced as he runs for a record fourth term. October 18, 2026.
Democratic candidate for governor Gina Hinojosa made one of her last campaign stops in Harris County Sunday, as early voting kicks off.
With congressional democratic leaders sitting front row — including Representatives Sylvia Garcia, Lizzie Fletcher, and Christian Menefee — Hinojosa made her pitch to a couple hundred supporters gathered at Brentwood Baptist Church Sunday.
Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.
“If we don’t win this time, they will never let us get this close again,” Hinojosa said. “Let me tell you this is our last [and] best chance.”
The once long-shot candidate has forced Gov. Greg Abbott’s bid for re-election into a competitive race. Abbott first won the seat by a margin of 21 points and in his subsequent bids for re-election has won by at least 10 points. However, a recent Marist poll has Hinojosa five points behind him as Abbott seeks a record fourth term.
“I see the reality,” Abbott told a North Texas local CBS affiliate when asked if he was concerned about the polls. “The reality is when Texans really learn about who Gina Hinojosa is they react very negatively.”
Hinojosa, a former local school board president, has made education a signature issue of her campaign.
She repeated promises to raise teacher salaries, pause the accountability ratings system — failed ratings can trigger state takeovers of public school districts — and fire Education Commissioner Mike Morath and replace the position with an educator.
Since 2023, Houston ISD has been under a state takeover, though Morath has recently made comments indicating the district may soon be allowed to exit the state intervention.
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
200 supporters rally for Democratic candidate for governor Gina Hinojosa at Brentwood Baptist Church in southwest Houston. October 18, 2026
Abbott is expected to spend time this week campaigning in the southeast Texas area with planned stops in Houston, Beaumont, and Richmond. Last year, Abbott vowed to make Harris County red.
Abbott has outspent Hinojosa by tens of millions of dollars. A recent survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs showed Hinojosa up 16 points in Harris County among likely voters.
Abbott has a slight edge over Hinojosa among Harris County white voters. While Hinojosa enjoys a double-digit margin among Latino and black voters in the county.
Mark Jones, one of the survey’s co-authors, told Houston Public Media Hinojosa’s lead isn’t “dramatic” enough to win the race statewide.
“If Abbott is able to perform as well in Harris County as this poll indicates, then he should still be well positioned to win statewide, albeit by a much smaller margin than back in ’22, let alone in 2018 or 2014,” Jones said.
Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
A couple hundred supporters gather to hear democratic candidate for governor Gina Hinojosa speak at Brentwood Baptist Church the day before early voting begins. October 18. 2026.
“It feels different,” Chris Feldman said. “There’s a lot of momentum. There’s a lot of energy.”
Cris Feldman is a lawyer and life-long democrat living in central Houston.
“This is the year,” Feldman said. “It’s happening this year. Period.”
It’s been more than 30 years since Texas elected a democrat to statewide office.
“I remember the Ann Richards days,” Michelle White said, recalling the state’s last democratic governor.
White drove by herself to the Hinojosa rally in southwest Houston from Pearland. She said she believes enough republicans are unhappy with the economy to oust Abbott from office.
“I can see it swinging back,” White said. “We’re setting a trend right now. I think we can do it.”