AUSTIN (Nexstar) — State Representative Gina Hinojosa announced she is running to become the first Democratic governor in Texas in 30 years. The Rio Grande Valley native will officially launch her campaign in Brownsville on Wednesday night.
Hinojosa started her career as a labor lawyer. She said she never wanted to be a politician, but decided to get involved after her son’s school was threatened to be closed and was elected to the Austin Independent School District school board. She was then elected to the State House in 2016 and has served the Austin area in the Capitol ever since.
When asked about her intentions in running for governor, Hinojosa said that Texans need a governor that “prioritizes the needs of Texans, as opposed to the billionaire class, which is what we’re seeing Governor Greg Abbott do.”
Hinojosa has been one of the harshest critics of Gov. Greg Abbott, who is running for his fourth consecutive term. Following her announcement, Abbott’s campaign manager, Kim Snyder, released a statement:
“Time and again, Gina Hinojosa chooses woke, extreme ideologies over the safety and security of Texas families. 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.”
Hinojosa said that the issue most important to her this election cycle is affordability and healthcare.
“We know that many Texans, too many Texans, can’t afford basic health care. For instance, in Texas, our uninsured rate is two times the national average. We can fix this. We can put over a million more Texans on health insurance if we simply accept those federal funds that Texans have already paid to the federal government to cover our health insurance.”
Hinojosa has been a vocal proponent of public education in her time at the Capitol, a personal issue for her.
“When my son’s school was threatened for closure, I got mad. I was just a mad mom and I ran for the school board and won. The big issue that I found there is the state’s not giving public schools the money that they should, the money that we pay into for property taxes.”
She was one of the loudest opponents — along with her Democratic House colleagues — against the effort to create education savings accounts (ESA) in Texas. ESAs give families public dollars to help them pay for a private education for their child.
ESAs were a huge priority for Abbott, who successfully primaried Republicans who blocked his efforts in the House during the 88th legislature. According to a poll conducted by The Texas Politics Project in August, 40% of those polled said they either strongly or somewhat approved of Abbott, while 50% said they either strongly or somewhat disapproved of him.
Hinojosa joins a crowded Democratic primary. Andrew White, who campaigned for the Democratic nomination in 2018, announced his campaign in September. Hinojosa will also go up against Bobby Cole, a retired firefighter and poultry producer; Nick Pappas, a retired United States Marine; and Meagan Tehseldar, a teacher.
Abbott is currently facing one challenger in the Republican primary. That is Ronnie Tullos, a full-time construction worker and part-time police officer.
Hinojosa will make her official campaign launch in Brownsville at the Historic Alonso building at 6:30 p.m.
Below you can watch full interviews with three other democratic candidates running for the state’s top position.
Bobby Cole
When asked why he is running for governor, Cole said he believes at the national political level there are “some authoritarian tendencies afoot,” and thinks the legacy of our democracy is at stake.
“If you think it’s under attack, you can sit and watch it happen or you can get involved and try to make a difference,” Cole said.
Cole said he will fight for working class people who he believes are being “squeezed out.” He believes it will take someone like him — a political outsider — to bring change to Texas politics.
“With my background, being from rural Texas, working class, I believe I can resonate with a lot of voters in rural Texas,” Cole said.
He is a big proponent of increasing access to rural healthcare, legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage to $15, and ensuring LGBTQ rights.
Cole said he will not be able to fundraise at the same level as Abbott, but he hopes he can start a grassroots movement that can shave down some of the major advantage Republicans hold in rural counties.
Andrew White
When asked about why he’s running, Gubernatorial candidate Andrew White, an entrepreneur and the son of former Gov. Mark White, said that he thinks Texans are tired of Abbott’s “performative culture wars.”
“[Texans] want a governor who will focus on the things that matter. Our schools, our hospitals, and our infrastructure. All three of those things aren’t doing very well at all. Texas is doing great, we have the best land, the best people, and the best food, but our boy our politics is really messed up. So as governor, I’ll be focused on the things that really matter to Texans.”
Hailing from a family of educators, White said that education would be one of his top priorities as governor.
“Everyone wants a great school, whether you call yourself a Republican or a Democrat, you want great teachers. So sending a billion dollars of public money to private schools, the private school voucher plan that Greg Abbott just did, is ridiculous. I’ll make the investments into our school systems that will pay off for the next 20 or 30 years.”
When asked why he’s the best candidate to beat Abbott, White kept it simple: “He’s a culture warrior, I’m a problem solver.”
Nick Pappas
Pappas is a retired U.S. Marine who said he decided to run for governor after watching a random video on YouTube about the 89th legislature. Pappas, the son of a retired Texas teacher, said he was frustrated with the education policy that was passed this year.
Pappas said his priorities are ranked choice voting, abolishing the state’s new education savings account program, and “immediately instituting tax reform.”
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
