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Ongoing story / Gina Hinojosa

The 2026 Texas governor race: Greg Abbott vs. Gina Hinojosa

Overview · reviewed November 8, 2026

Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in November 2026, after a race in which polls showed her gaining on the three-term Republican,[1][2] and she will be the state's first Latina governor.[1] Abbott conceded on election night, saying, "mathematically, we're not going to be able to win this election,"[3] and Hinojosa and James Talarico, who won the state's Senate race, became the first Democrats to win statewide in Texas since 1994.[4]

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Abbott conceded on election night, saying, "mathematically, we're not going to be able to win this election,"[3] and Hinojosa and James Talarico, who won the state's Senate race, became the first Democrats to win statewide in Texas since 1994.[4]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 1%, 7 of 560 tracked outlets (0 left, 6 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 1%, 5 of 480 tracked outlets (0 left, 5 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): under 1%, 2 of 476 tracked outlets (1 left, 0 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): 2%, 8 of 476 tracked outlets (2 left, 6 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 4%, 20 of 479 tracked outlets (3 left, 13 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 3%, 12 of 473 tracked outlets (1 left, 9 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 15%, 72 of 471 tracked outlets (17 left, 31 center, 24 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 2 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 202617312472 of 47115%
Oct 26, 202619212 of 4733%
Oct 19, 2026313420 of 4794%
Oct 12, 20262608 of 4762%
Sep 28, 20261012 of 476under 1%
Sep 14, 20260505 of 4801%
Jul 6, 20260617 of 5601%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 4, 2026 · first reported · Headline from ABC 13 Houston

    Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa vows to ban future data centers in Texas

Background

Hinojosa, a state representative, ran on proposals including a $1,500 check for every Texas household from the state's rainy day fund.[5] A ReconMR/Siena poll in September showed her ahead of Abbott for the first time, by 4 points,[6] though later polls were mixed: a Texas Politics Project poll had her up by a point while Marist had Abbott ahead by four,[7] and a University of Houston poll found his lead had narrowed from 7 points in August to 3.[2] When Abbott did not accept her invitation to debate, she spoke beside an empty lectern outside the governor's mansion.[8]

In October Hinojosa sued for access to Abbott's communications with Elon Musk, which had been kept confidential because of their "embarrassing" and "intimate" nature;[9] a Travis County judge ordered Abbott to let her inspect them, and his appeal paused the order as he called it a "sham lawsuit."[10] After the election some Republican lawmakers called on Abbott to limit the governor's powers before he left office,[1] and Hinojosa called for a moratorium on new data centers until the Legislature meets in January.[11] The Senate race is followed in its own arc, and the data center fight in the arc on the backlash against them.

Supporting stories (11)
  1. Gina Hinojosa begins work to take office as Texas’ 1st Democratic governor in decades
  2. Abbott’s advantage narrows as Hinojosa gains ground in latest poll
  3. Greg Abbott concedes to Hinojosa in Texas
  4. Talarico, Hinojosa end Democrats Texas drought
  5. Gina Hinojosa proposes sending every Texas household $1,500 in her bid to oust Greg Abbott
  6. New poll shows Hinojosa ahead of Abbott for first time, Talarico leads Paxton
  7. Abbott, Hinojosa criticize each other on debates, public safety in lead up to early voting
  8. Abbott Refused to Debate — So Gina Hinojosa Brought the Podium to His Door
  9. Hinojosa sues to review confidential emails between Musk, Abbott
  10. Abbott appeal pauses order granting Hinojosa access to Abbott-Musk emails
  11. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa vows to ban future data centers in Texas

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 18 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa vows to ban future data centers in TexasHeadline from ABC 13 Houston · 5 outlets
  2. Hinojosa, Talarico, Eckhardt celebrate wins at Austin WhataburgerHeadline from KXAN Austin · 3 outlets
  3. Talarico, Hinojosa end Democrats Texas droughtHeadline from West Central Tribune · 12 outlets
  4. Greg Abbott concedes to Hinojosa in TexasHeadline from Phl17 · 7 outlets

October 2026

  1. Gina Hinojosa begins work to take office as Texas’ 1st Democratic governor in decadesHeadline from MyNorthwest · 57 outlets
  2. Abbott's Impact app responsible for 20+ million messages to get-out-the-vote, campaign saysHeadline from KXAN Austin · 4 outlets
  3. Hinojosa holds final rally in El Paso ahead of electionsHeadline from KTSM 9 News · 2 outlets
  4. Abbott’s lead over Hinojosa in Texas governor’s race narrowsHeadline from Fox26 Houston · 1 outlet
  5. Abbott appeal pauses order granting Hinojosa access to Abbott-Musk emailsHeadline from KXAN Austin · 9 outlets
  6. Abbott’s advantage narrows as Hinojosa gains ground in latest pollHeadline from Fox7 Austin · 1 outlet
  7. Talarico, Paxton in dead heat for Texas Senate, Abbott leads governor's race: PollHeadline from The Hill · 18 outlets
  8. Hinojosa sues to review confidential emails between Musk, AbbottHeadline from KXAN Austin · 5 outlets
  9. Here’s how Abbott, Hinojosa want to reshape Texas educationHeadline from Marshall News Messenger · 3 outlets
  10. Abbott, Hinojosa criticize each other on debates, public safety in lead up to early votingHeadline from KXAN Austin · 4 outlets
  11. Abbott Refused to Debate — So Gina Hinojosa Brought the Podium to His DoorHeadline from Latin Times · 3 outlets

September 2026

  1. Democrat Hinojosa tells East Texas crowd that race against Abbott ‘a fight we cannot lose’Headline from Tyler Morning Telegraph · 2 outlets
  2. New poll shows Hinojosa ahead of Abbott for first time, Talarico leads PaxtonHeadline from KXAN Austin · 5 outlets

July 2026

  1. Gina Hinojosa proposes sending every Texas household $1,500 in her bid to oust Greg AbbottHeadline from Odessa American · 7 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →