AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, announced Wednesday she is running for governor in 2026 after serving for nearly a decade in the Texas House.
“I’ve seen firsthand how Governor Abbott’s rich donors run Texas at the expense of our schools, our communities, and working families,” Hinojosa said in her campaign launch video. “I’m running to put Texas families first, fight for our kids, and hold the powerful accountable. Texans deserve a governor who will work for them, not the billionaire class.”
Hinojosa is the first elected official to join over a dozen third-party and Democratic candidates who have declared intent to run for Governor, including Andrew White, a Houston businessman and son of former Gov. Mark White; Bobby Cole, a rancher and retired firefighter; and Bay City Council member Benjamin Flores.
Whoever wins nomination will likely run against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott who is up for reelection to his fourth consecutive term. Abbott currently faces one challenger, Ronnie Tullos, in the Republican primary.
During her five-terms as a representative for Texas House District 49, Hinojosa has advocated for public education and been a main opponent to Abbott’s private school voucher program. During the 89th Legislature, Hinojosa served on both the House Public Education Committee and the House Committee on Land and Resource Management.
In her campaign launch video, Hinojosa said she was first motivated to run for office after her son’s elementary school faced a potential closure due to state budget cuts. Hinojosa was elected to the Austin ISD school board in 2012 and later served as board president before being elected to the Texas House in 2016.
In a statement, Abbott’s campaign manager Kim Snyder called Hinojosa “out of step with Texans,” according to the Texas Tribune.
“Texans deserve a Governor who will continue to secure the border, fight for safer communities and uphold family values — not someone who supports failed, radical policies that hurt hardworking Texans,” Snyder said.
White said in a statement that Hinojosa represents her district well, but Democrats need “a candidate who will bring together progressives, moderates and independents to beat Greg Abbott,” according to the Texas Tribune.
Hinojosa said her main priorities as governor include affordability and healthcare.
In her campaign launch video, Hinojosa outlined her intention to fight back against “the billionaires and corporations who are driving up prices, closing our neighborhood schools and cheating Texans out of basic healthcare.”
“So long as we have a governor that can be bought, we won’t have the Texas we deserve,” Hinojosa said. “I’m fighting back. I’m running to take on the corruption and take back our state.”
A Rio Grande Valley native, Hinojosa will officially launch her campaign during a rally in Brownsville Wednesday night.