Democratic state Rep.Gina Hinojosa has defeated Texas Gov.
Greg Abbott, a three-term Republican, NBC News projects, wresting control of the red-state governorship from Republicans for the first time since 1995.Hinojosa’s projected victory, which will make her the state’s first Hispanic governor, comes after Abbott’s campaign outspent her by tens of millions of dollars.
Abbott, who could have become Texas’ longest-serving governor had he won, initially looked poised to earn another term in what has been a ruby-red state for decades.But changing demographics and a steadily worsening political environment for Republicans across the country and in Texas, where GOP nominees for several offices faced personal scandals and criticism, eventually took their toll on Abbott, too.Follow live updates on the midterm electionsHinojosa, who was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, was elected to the Texas state House in 2016.
Prior to becoming a legislator, Hinojosa worked as a civil rights and labor lawyer.Education has been a pillar of her political career, with Hinojosa crediting work to stop her son’s elementary school from closing due to state budget cuts as her inspiration to seek elected office.
Education funding and reform were big issues in her gubernatorial campaign, with the Democrat pledging over the summer that one of her first actions as governor would be to fire the state’s education commissioner, citing declining student performances across Texas.She also criticized Abbott on data centers, a big issue throughout the state, including in rural areas.
While Abbott has enjoyed reliable support from rural voters in past races, he faced friction with the voting bloc this cycle over his past support of data centers.Texas is home to over 500 data centers thus far, making it the state with the second-highest number of data centers in the nation.
Texas Gov.Greg Abbott.Mark Felix / Bloomberg via GettyAbbott has walked back some of his support for the de...