Gina Hinojosa Gains Ground Against Gov. Greg Abbott as Texas Approaches Early Voting and Candidates Rally Voters in San Antonio
It is now sixty days until early voting is scheduled on October 19, 2026. The last day to register to vote in the fall midterm elections is October 5th. Voters should check on their voter registration to ensure they have not been removed from the voter rolls. With so much attention focused on this election, all votes will certainly matter.
Polls Show a Tightening Race
As battle lines have been drawn, one particular race is capturing a lot of publicity, especially after many polls indicate a close race between Greg Abbott and challenger Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Some early polls showed Hinojosa trailing Abbott by as many as seven points. Later polls reflected more chanes, with Hinojosa coming within six points, more movement again and the challenger had come within three points – inside the margin of error. The most recent polls are now showing Hinojosa within one point of the governor.
Latinas Rally for Gina Hinojosa
What has occurred may not be explained in a short period of time. One of the most recent actions by Hinojosa’s campaign was a “Latinas For Gina Hinojosa” rally, held on August 11, at San Antonio’s Woodlawn Theater. The venue was filled with plenty of signs and a very vocal crowd. I encountered several community activists who have supported public education, domestic violence prevention, and fighting for voting rights.
The rally’s sponsor was the Latina Victory Fund, described as “a progressive political action committee, with the mission of growing Latino political power by increasing Latino representation at every level of government, from the school board to the Senate, to the White House.” LVF’s President Katharine Pichardo would later introduce the candidate to the audience.
Texas Candidates Address the Audience
In the interim, the audience was introduced to the following candidates, seeking offices in Texas:
Luz Elena Chapa – Democratic nominee for the office of Bexar County District Attorney
Katy Padilla Stout – Democratic nominee for Texas District 23
Kristian Carranza -Candidate for Texas House District 118
Hinojosa Outlines Her Priorities
Upon the conclusion of the comments from the foregoing candidates, Ms. Pichardo introduced candidate Gina Hinojosa, who marched out to rousing applause. Hinojosa spoke of her past “activism”, which included her being one of the Texas House Representatives who “left the state”, to delay the legislature from redrawing congressional maps that were going to dilute minority voting power and lessen representation for black and brown communities.
Hinojosa described her early political involvement, where she fought to keep her son’s school from being closed, which she was able to succeed in doing and eventually was elected to sit on the area’s school board. Hinojosa criticized the governor’s ties to his billionaire friends, his unnecessary assistance to electric companies “during winter storm Yuri”, where Abbott didn’t want the companies to release electricity, but, after a period of the companies holding back, he received a “million dollars”, from those companies. Having worked on School Board issues, the candidate stated that raising teacher salaries and school funding would also be a part of her mission, once she is elected governor.
Could Voter Turnout Shift the Race?
From an organizational perspective, more attendees could have fit in the space at this venue. This fact suggests the possibility of a limited outreach effort or limited knowledge of the voter turnout demographics. Nevertheless, it’s highly possible, that a large turnout from multiple demographics will turn the race in favor of a change in the governor’s office.
Change appears to be just around the corner and would be welcomed by a great number of Texas voters!
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