Higher prices at the pump and rising electric bills could be Gina Hinojosa\u2019s path to the Texas governor\u2019s mansion \u2014 if voters decide to elect a Democrat for the first time in more than 30 years.<\/p>\n
Hinojosa, a state representative from Austin, is blaming three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for a surge in electric costs<\/a>.<\/p>\n And she is urging him to suspend the state\u2019s 20-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax to give motorists some relief, saying she hears concerns about spiking energy costs on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are like, \u2018Yes, that\u2019s right. That\u2019s happened to me,\u2019\u201d Hinojosa said in an interview.<\/p>\n Abbott has presided over an economic boom for most of his 11-plus years as governor. Texas\u2019 unemployment rate trails the national average, and the state\u2019s population is growing at the expense of high-priced states on the East and West coasts.<\/p>\n But Texas hasn\u2019t been able to escape the nationwide inflation, and Republicans are being dragged down by President Donald Trump\u2019s flagging approval ratings and the rising cost of gasoline in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s campaign argues that Hinojosa\u2019s proposals are unworkable and that Texas is succeeding because of consistent Republican leadership. At $3.98 per gallon, regular gasoline in Texas was up more than $1.20 from a year earlier Tuesday while still 11 percent below the national average, according to AAA.<\/p>\n \u201cTexas continues to outperform other large states when it comes to affordability, and we are not going to stop in our efforts to keep Texas affordable,\u201d Abbott campaign spokesperson Eduardo Leal said in an email.<\/p>\n The gas tax is the state\u2019s main source of highway funds, and it also helps pay for local schools. Leal suggested that cutting it would be a move to \u201cdefund Texas public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Two recent polls show Hinojosa trailing Abbott by 5 or 6 percentage points, which is closer than the previous three Democrats who\u2019ve challenged Abbott. Both polls show that affordability and high prices are among voters\u2019 top concerns.<\/p>\n A survey of likely<\/a> general election voters by Texas Public Opinion Research last month showed 21 percent of respondents ranked affordability as the most important issue. It showed Abbott leading Hinojosa 48 percent to 43 percent, with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.<\/p>\n A separate poll<\/a> of registered voters by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, Austin, showed 61 percent were \u201cvery concerned\u201d about higher gasoline prices and 15 percent ranked inflation and higher prices as the most important issue in their lives.<\/p>\n The April poll showed Abbott with 44 percent of votes and Hinojosa with 38 percent of votes in a hypothetical matchup. It had a margin of error of 2.83 percentage points.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how much voters blame Abbott for higher prices. The last Democrat elected governor of Texas was Ann Richards in 1990.<\/p>\n But Abbott and the state\u2019s Republican leadership will have to cope with backlash to the economy under Trump, including higher prices in the wake of the Iran war, James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said in an email.<\/p>\n At the same time, Trump remains popular with Texas Republicans, Henson said.<\/p>\n Republicans will need to \u201cseparate themselves somewhat from the national dynamic without appearing critical of the Trump administration in a way that triggers backlash from Trump and\/or the share of the Texas GOP electorate that still holds Trump in high regard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hinojosa said Abbott and Republican legislators are responsible for at least some of the higher prices.<\/p>\n For instance, Abbott has been a full-throated cheerleader for data center construction in Texas, at a time when there\u2019s growing concern about the booming industry\u2019s impact on electric rates, water supplies and rural quality of life. And he\u2019s taken at least $1.6 million in contributions from tech executives<\/a> in the last year.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 12 years of Greg Abbott, the system has grift all throughout it,\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cThe system is working against the people who are funding it, the taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n Hinojosa said Abbott has bowed to big-money interests on a variety of issues, including pushing state lawmakers to adopt a voucher system that some families can use to help fund education in private schools. On his campaign website, Abbott says he\u2019s focused on cutting taxes and promoting business in Texas.<\/p>\n The financial firepower behind Abbott remains a major advantage.<\/p>\n Abbott had $96 million in cash available in his campaign account last month, following big contributions from oil, real estate and utility interests, according to the nonprofit Transparency USA. Hinojosa had about $617,000, according to the same source.<\/p>\n Winter storm fallout<\/p>\n Amid a slew of major storms and a push for a stronger grid, Abbott and the Republican-controlled state Legislature have been in power during an era of rising utility bills.<\/p>\n When Winter Storm Uri struck the state in 2021 \u2014 killing more than 240 people \u2014 utility companies were stuck with billions in unexpected costs, while a handful of natural gas suppliers and generators reaped windfalls.<\/p>\n In response, state lawmakers enacted a series of laws that passed the price spike on to consumers, usually by adding small monthly increases to customers\u2019 gas and electric bills.<\/p>\n Kelcy Warren, whose pipeline company made $2.4 billion during the storm<\/a>, gave Abbott a $1 million campaign contribution later in 2021. Energy Transfer, where Warren has served as executive chair, didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment this week.<\/p>\n Hinojosa has called the price increases the \u201cGreg Abbott Corruption Tax<\/a>\u201d and tagged Abbott as the \u201cmordida governor<\/a>,\u201d using the Spanish word for a bribe or payoff.<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s campaign didn\u2019t respond to a question about the storm and higher utility rates. The governor has argued that state officials overhauled the electric grid and that it has performed well since the storm in 2021.<\/p>\n