Gina Hinojosa

Governor · Democrat Primary 2026

Democrat

About ✓ Verified

Leading Democratic primary candidate with strong polling momentum, sweeping editorial endorsements from major Texas newspapers, and solid labor union support, though facing significant fundraising challenges against Abbott

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Public education funding
Reproductive rights
Affordable housing
Grid reliability
Fighting corruption
Labor union support
Opposition to school vouchers
Teacher pay increases
Healthcare expansion
Anti-private equity healthcare reform

Strengths Sourced

Strong polling lead with 37-59% support across polls
Major newspaper endorsement sweep
Significant labor union backing
Congressional endorsements
Legislative experience in Texas House

Concerns Sourced

Still trails Abbott 42-49% in general election matchup
Fundraising disadvantage vs. Abbott's $106M war chest
32% undecided voters in primary
High name recognition gap statewide

Endorsements ✓ Verified

Texas AFL-CIO (labor union)
SEIU Texas (labor union)
Texas AFT (labor union)
Austin American-Statesman (editorial board)
Dallas Morning News (editorial board)
Houston Chronicle (editorial board)
San Antonio Express-News (editorial board)
Austin Chronicle (editorial board)
Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus (advocacy group)
Progress Texas (advocacy group)
Jolt Action (advocacy group)
Jasmine Crockett (elected official)
Lloyd Doggett (elected official)
Greg Casar (elected official)
Veronica Escobar (elected official)
Sylvia Garcia (elected official)
Vicente Gonzalez (elected official)
Colin Allred (elected official)
Julie Johnson (elected official)
Clay Jenkins (elected official)
James Talarico (elected official)
Chris Murphy (elected official)
Ruben Gallego (elected official)
Andrew White (public figure)
Jim Hightower (public figure)
Garry Mauro (public figure)

Polling ✓ Verified

UT Tyler poll (February 2026): 59% Hinojosa, 25% Bell; University of Houston poll (January 2026): 37% Hinojosa, 7% Bell, 6% Cole, 32% undecided; leads general election matchup against Abbott 42-49%

Fundraising ✓ Verified

$1.3M raised last 10 weeks of 2025 (includes $300K self-loan); $370K cash on hand as of December 31, 2025; six-figure digital ad buy announced February 17, 2026

Sources (20)

Texas labor unions divided on who to support for governor (2026-02-24)
Texas's Biggest Papers Agree: Gina Hinojosa is the Best Candidate for Governor (2026-02-24)
Texas Primaries 2026 (2026-02-24)
March 2026 Primary Election Endorsements for the Austin Area (2026-02-24)
Top candidates in the 2026 Texas governor's race primary (2026-02-24)
2026 Democratic Primary Voter Guide: Who's on the ballot? (2026-02-24)
Democratic Party primaries in Texas, 2026 - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
2026 Texas gubernatorial election - Wikipedia (2026-02-24)
Meet the Republicans and Democrats running for Texas governor (2026-02-24)
Who’s running for Texas governor in 2026? Meet Greg Abbott’s challengers (2026-02-24)
Who’s leading in Texas’ 2026 election? New poll offers clues | khou.com (2026-02-24)
2026 Democratic Primary Candidates & Election Information - Collin County Democrats (2026-02-24)
Texas labor unions are increasingly divided on which candidate to endorse for governor | HPPR (2026-02-24)
Texas labor unions are increasingly divided on which candidate to endorse for governor (2026-02-24)
Texas AFL-CIO gives primary race endorsements, declines pick for US Senate | KXAN Austin (2026-02-24)
Texas AFT :This Valentine’s Day, will you vote for these union-backed candidates? (2026-02-24)
Texas labor unions are increasingly divided on which candidate to endorse for governor | News From The States (2026-02-24)
Texas labor unions are increasingly divided on which candidate to endorse for governor - San Antonio Current (2026-02-24)
Texas labor unions are increasingly divided on which candidate to endorse for governor - Odessa American (2026-02-24)
Gina Hinojosa - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)

Data last verified: Mar 3, 2026 · 20 sources cited

See something wrong? Let us know and we'll fix it.

Data Confidence
✓ Verified backed by official sources (Ballotpedia, Vote Smart, .gov)
Sourced from web sources cited below
AI-inferred generated by AI from available information