Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott for governor Tuesday, denying the Republican a record fourth term and triggering a political earthquake in a state that has not seen a Democrat sit in the governor’s mansion this century.

Abbott conceded at 10 p.m. at his results watch party. He said he had just gotten off the phone with Hinojosa to congratulate her.

“I love our state. It has been an honor to serve it. And know that we are leaving Texas in far better shape than it’s ever been. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot,” he said.

With a populist campaign promise to revitalize public schools and purge state government of undue corporate and billionaire influence, Hinojosa overcame a more than four-to-one spending disparity to topple the three-term Republican incumbent as part of a blue wave that washed over a long drought-ridden state for Democrats.

Though he launched his reelection bid with the power of incumbency, seemingly limitless fundraising and extensive party infrastructure in place, Abbott was ultimately unable to withstand the intense political headwinds facing the GOP this cycle.

  • Gpennyhigh@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    This is great news and shows that voting does matter. Only had 40% turnout, imagine if 60% voted for what polls say people really want, like healthcare w/o bankruptcy, paid leave from work, lower daycare costs, higher wages, etc, all available with enough Dem majority to pass these things. Hopefully good things will get done in states that have Dem governments next year.

  • Gorgritch_Umie_Killa@aussie.zone
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    16 hours ago

    First thing they need do in Texas, if they can somehow manage without needing supermajorities like everything seems to need in the US, is spin off all election tasks to a properly independent organisation with the mission of running elections fairly, depoliticise all the voting, electoral boundaries especially.

    Get a few elections with this organisation in place, people generally see the value, if they don’t initially and in future some Governor is able to shit it down, I have no doubt all that Governor would be doing is starting the timer until the people demand it back.

    Its much easier to deny people things they’d like when they’ve never had them, it gets much harder when they know what they’re missing.

    • TipRing@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      They need a commission to redraw the maps or Texas will flip again in two years. I hope they know that they only have power because gerrymanders are weak to wave elections.

  • protist@retrofed.com
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    24 hours ago

    Democrats not only won the Texas governor’s race, but also lieutenant governor, attorney general, agricultural commissioner, railroad commissioner, multiple state supreme court and state board of education seats, and flipped the Texas House blue. We’re facing an entirely new state government in Texas and I’m here for it.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      15 hours ago

      Texas is now a Blue state, and if it holds for the 2028 election, the impact on the Electoral College will be HUGE. The three biggest states are California, Texas, and Florida, and if Texas goes Blue, it will be almost impossible for Republicans to win the Electoral College ever again. Add Ohio to that, and the Republicans are really screwed.

      • Gpennyhigh@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        This would be so fun, and possible if people vote for the platform that most aligns with what they claim they want in polls and is proven to work, and turnout in higher numbers to demand liberty and justice for all. If they vote on logic and data, but too often sit out or swing back and forth from media brainwashing that both sides are the same. They are not when they have enough majority and pass what We The People want.

    • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      17 hours ago

      Railroad commissioner is a really important one out here. The democrats managed to seize the real power positions, and the effect will be noticeable.

      • kerryh8er04@sh.itjust.works
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        15 hours ago

        RR commissioner is impotant, but Lt Governor is the most important role in Texas. Hopefully they can pass a few needed reforms when the house decides to meet. It’s insane how inefficient Texas state government is.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      Republicans have spent so long holding back the will of the people in Texas.

      The dam finally burst.

    • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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      17 hours ago

      Corrupt Republican regime legacy in Texas, not just gerrymandered, they also made it one of the hardest places to vote in the country. Houston, specifically, has the most suppressive access. The big impact, is national GOP party will have to move to center to be competitive (TX must have for them). The center where politicians just quietly supported militarism for Israel is now toxic.

      FL and MS close with no money invested is an electorate that will blame GOP that tolerate Trump for continued problems in 2028 cycle. Even if Zionist supremacist media tries to blame problems in 2028 on congress (they’re doing that this morning), it can’t possibly work.

      • protist@retrofed.com
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        14 hours ago

        The Texas Tribune is going by official projections issued by the AP. The AP didn’t call some races last night until well after the losers had conceded. For many of these House races, the outcomes are almost certain, just not quite certain enough for the AP to make the official call

        • baronvonj@piefed.social
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          14 hours ago

          But if you scroll through all the undecided races, the margins are generally pretty small. They’re almost all under 1 point difference, some even just a tenth of a point. I can’t imagine they don’t end up with at least one recount and some law suits. I can understand not wanting to call those races yet.

      • protist@retrofed.com
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        13 hours ago

        Democrats won all 4 US House districts Republicans redrew in Texas to try to eliminate Democrats

      • wjrii@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        Yes. Even gerrymandered as they are, Texas is probably sending one more Democrat to the House of Representatives than in 2024. That it wasn’t worse for them is probably the closest thing to a silver lining the Republicans have in Texas this year.

        The one thing that Democrats need to understand is that this is now a purple state, not a red one. in 2028 we’ll likely see Republicans who aren’t “frothing at the mouth” racist, and while the statewide officeholders will have more time to show results, there’s no guarantee that the state votes blue in the next presidential election.

        All that said, between Musk and a pair of Christofascist oil billionaires, we in Texas were up against it, and I’m extremely happy there’s some sanity and some proof that money has diminishing returns.

    • kerryh8er04@sh.itjust.works
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      15 hours ago

      That is the most amazing thing. I could have never imagined that happening. I’ve been away from Texas for over a decade now.

      I really wish they would issue term limits for governor. I was pissed even more a Rick Perry when he anointed Wheels to take his place. I know Perry was just given the job when Bush left, and then he was about to hold that role until he decided he wanted to pretend to be a presidential candidate.

    • WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      17 hours ago

      The prophecy has finally been fulfilled. Texas has been very purple for a long time, but the rigged system has kept it red. This victory shows that there is actually a significant majority of blue voters, and if they can start to fix the corruption, we will see just how blue it has really been.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      14 hours ago

      They’ve been predicting this swing for years, expecting the growing Hispanic population to support Dems. Then they decided to support MAGA, and helped them win. Rather than reward them for it, MAGA punished them with the ugliest attacks on minorities we’ve had in our lifetimes, and the Hispanics turned around, again. Now the Republicans will probably never get them back, and Texas is likely to remain Purple, moving to Blue.

    • arrow74@lemmy.zip
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      19 hours ago

      The Republicans are fucked. Their base will only primary in extremists and then they can’t win the general.

      I expect Texas to be in play for a long time

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      AFAIK this would have happened way earlier if it wasn’t for the gerrymandering.

    • felixthecat@fedia.io
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      15 hours ago

      Texas always could. We just need to get the non voters off the bench and in the game. If we had 100% voting population Republicans wouldn’t win in any state.

    • sudoer777@lemmy.ml
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      12 hours ago

      The reason Republicans there are so aggressive is because they’re fighting tooth and nail to stay in power

  • Lka1988@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    “I love our state. It has been an honor to serve it. And know that we are leaving Texas in far better shape than it’s ever been. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot,” he said.

    Shut the fuck up you useless piece of shit.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      24 hours ago

      mr hotwheels used his bitterness from his injury to prevent others from gaining much money from lawsuits. hopefully she can reverse that law.

  • Bustedknuckles@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Gina and Angie were my stretch wishes. Glad I got one of the 2!

    With all the influx, Texas is going to get like 4 new reps after the next census, having a dem governor means that they can veto any ratfuckery with the maps. Good job, Texazul!