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At his election-night watch party in Austin on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott told supporters he had reviewed results from across the state and had called Democrat Gina Hinojosa to congratulate her on winning the race for governor, saying the remaining ballots would not change the outcome.
"There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically, we're not going to be able to win this election," Abbott said. He thanked Texans for allowing him to serve as governor for 12 years and said he had told Hinojosa he would assist her and her team during the transition.
The Associated Press called the race for Hinojosa. In the AP's latest figures, with 92.2 percent of precincts reporting, Hinojosa led with 5,024,462 votes to Abbott's 4,359,374. Vote counting continued after the call, with official certification to follow in the coming weeks.
The result denies Abbott a fourth term — he has served as Texas governor since January 2015 — and makes Hinojosa the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since Ann Richards left office in 1995, the state's first Latina governor, and the third woman to hold the office.
Hinojosa, 52, is a state representative from Austin who built her campaign around public education and household costs. She overcame a spending gap of more than four to one, with reports putting Abbott's campaign spending at about $281 million against about $36.8 million for Hinojosa. She takes office in January 2027 for a four-year term.
Her victory came on a strong night for Texas Democrats, who also won the state's open U.S. Senate seat, with James Talarico defeating Republican Ken Paxton.