Gina Hinojosa

Gina Hinojosa is trailing Abbott by 1.5 points. Crosstab's forecast gives Hinojosa a 38% chance to win.

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Hinojosa attended Brownsville public schools, graduated from the University of Texas and earned a law degree from George Washington University. A former civil rights and union lawyer, she was Austin ISD school board president before winning a seat in the Texas House, and won the 2026 Democratic nomination for governor with 59% of the vote.

Education: University of Texas, George Washington University (law degree)

Overall agenda

Campaigns on public schools, lowering costs, and ending what she calls Abbott's corruption.

“As Governor, Gina Hinojosa will have a short, simple agenda, because the plan should be as plain as the promise: save our public schools, put money in your pocket, and end Greg Abbott’s corruption – so every Texan can live their American Dream” Source

Standardized testing

Would end the STAAR test and pause the A-F school ratings.

“As Governor, Gina will end the STAAR test and tests like it, pause the rigged A-F accountability system, and call on the Legislature to deliver a bill that creates real accountability.” Source

School vouchers

Would end the state's school voucher program.

“As Governor, Gina will end the voucher scam and ensure Texans’ taxpayer dollars go where they belong: into the neighborhood schools families depend on.” Source

School takeovers

Would return state-run school districts to local control.

“As Governor, Gina will return school districts that have been taken over back to their communities, because she knows parents and local communities, the people with skin in the game, should be making decisions about their students’ education.” Source

Education agency

Would replace the state education commissioner with an educator.

“On day one as Governor, Gina will fire Mike Morath and appoint an educator to lead the Texas Education Agency (TEA), because the agency that oversees our children’s education should be led by someone who has taught them.” Source

Teacher pay

Would cancel vendor contracts she calls corrupt and use the money for teacher pay.

“As Governor, Gina will audit and terminate corrupt vendor contracts and use that money to pay teachers to be among the highest paid in the nation.” Source

Health care

Sponsored a law securing federal funds for indigent care in Travis County.

“Gina knows healthcare is vitally important to every Texan, which is why she was the House sponsor of a law that ensured almost $1 billion dollars in federal funds to pay for indigent health care in Travis County.” Source

In the candidate's own words, from her campaign site; every quote checked word for word.

Is Gina Hinojosa leading in the polls?

Gina Hinojosa is trailing Abbott by 1.5 points in the Crosstab average for the 2026 Texas Governor race, at 46.5% (updated Sep 28, 2026).

What are Gina Hinojosa's chances of winning?

Crosstab's forecast gives Gina Hinojosa a 38% chance of winning the Texas Governor race.

What party is Gina Hinojosa?

Gina Hinojosa is a Democrat, Texas State Representative.