Governor Greg Abbott seeks a fourth term against State Representative Gina Hinojosa, a former Austin ISD school board president. Their education platforms differ sharply on testing, school choice, and state accountability policies.
Where
Statewide
When
October 2026, days before midterm elections
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
Greg AbbottGovernor seeking fourth four-year term
Gina HinojosaState Representative and former Austin ISD school board president
Mike MorathTexas education commissioner
Thomas B. Fordham InstitutePolicy analysis organization
The facts
Democrats have not won a statewide office in Texas in more than 30 years.1
Houston ISD D- and F-rated campuses fell from 120 in 2023 to 13 in 2026.1
Houston ISD A-rated campuses increased from 36 in 2023 to 92 in 2026.1
Education ranked behind only economy, democracy, and health care among voter concerns.2
50% of Republican voters and 75% of Democratic voters rated education as "very important."2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Gina Hinojosa Pledged to fire Mike Morath on 'day one'1
Gina Hinojosa Skeptic of standardized testing, school choice, and state takeovers1
Gina Hinojosa Stated priorities include ending education savings account program and more deference to local districts1
Amy Acton (Ohio candidate) School choice program has no transparency or accountability2
Amy Acton (Ohio candidate) Claims her education funding plan would require no additional costs to state taxpayers2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Three governors’ races, three tests for education reform
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on 'The Will Cain Show' to discuss key political matchups in Texas and CAIR Action's support for Democratic candidates James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa.
Greg Abbott, Texas Governor; James Talarico, Democratic candidate; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate and 1 more
Elon Musk donated $76 million to Republican political groups in the first two weeks of October ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The spending heavily targeted the Texas Senate race between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, with more than $21 million in spending for or against candidates in that race.
$$76 million for donation to Republican groups in first two weeks of October
Elon Musk, donor; America PAC, political action committee receiving donations; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate in Texas and 2 more
Early voting in Texas has drawn strong participation in the first week, with more than two million voters casting ballots by Thursday, October 22. Denton County set a record with 34,700 voters on the first day of early voting, nearly double the 2022 first-day total. Multiple large counties reported significant turnout.
Denton County voters, cast early ballots; Harris County voters, cast early ballots; Dallas County voters, cast early ballots and 3 more
El Paso County set a new record for early voting in the midterm election, surpassing its 2018 midterm early voting record. On Monday, Oct. 21, the county cast more than 17,500 ballots on the opening day of early voting, exceeding the 17,236 votes from the 2018 midterm opening day.
El Paso County Elections Department, election officials
Voters in Texas are considering candidates and issues in midterm races for governor and Senate. Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico are running competitively against Republican incumbents Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Recent polling shows Talarico ahead of Paxton and the Hinojosa-Abbott race effectively tied. A Democrat has not won statewide in Texas in over three decades.
Greg Abbott, Governor, Republican candidate; Ken Paxton, Attorney General, Republican candidate; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and 5 more
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico held campaign events across the Houston area on October 21, 2026, including a rally at Safari Texas Ranch in Fort Bend County and stops with Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. Talarico criticized his Republican opponent Ken Paxton on taxes and affordability.
James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate opponent; John Whitmire, Houston Mayor and 2 more
Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa is scheduled to appear on CBS News's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, alongside Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Gina Hinojosa, Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee; Thom Tillis, Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina; Todd Blanche, Attorney General and 1 more
Early voting increased in Texas as the midterm elections approached. Democrat James Talarico cast his ballot in the U.S. Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton.
James Talarico, Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate; Donald Trump, President campaigning for Republicans