AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Greg Abbott is expected to win reelection in next year’s race for governor of Texas. But Texas Democrats are working to change that narrative. A state lawmaker is the latest to join the race.
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa represents Texas House District 49 in Austin. But on Wednesday, she returned to Brownsville, where she grew up, to launch her campaign for governor.
“Texas needs a governor who will work for you, and I will be that governor,” Hinojosa told a crowd gathered for the announcement. Supporters chanted, waving some signs reading “No Te Dejes.” During her speech, Hinojosa said that this phrase translates as the directive “Know yourself and fight for it.”
“I will be the first governor of Texas from the Rio Grande Valley,” Hinojosa said, drawing cheers from supporters in the room.
Hinojosa began her career as a labor lawyer. She said she never wanted to become a politician, but decided to get involved after her son’s school was threatened with closure and she was elected to the Austin Independent School District school board. She was then elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and has served the Austin Capitol District since then.
Hinojosa was a strong supporter of public education during her time in the Capitol. She said her campaign will also focus on affordability and health care.
When asked about her intentions to run for governor, Hinojosa said Texans need a governor who “prioritizes the needs of Texans, rather than the billionaire class, which is what we see Governor Greg Abbott doing.”
Hinojosa has been a vocal critic of Abbott, who is running for a fourth consecutive term. Following Hinojosa’s announcement, Abbott’s campaign manager, Kim Snyder, issued a statement:
“Time and time again, Gina Hinojosa chooses extremist ideologies over the safety and security of Texas families. Texans deserve a Governor who will continue to secure the border, fight for safer communities, and uphold family values – not someone who supports failed radical policies that hurt hardworking Texans.”
Hinojosa is the latest Democratic candidate seeking to challenge Governor Abbott next year. Andrew White, a businessman and son of former Gov. Mark White, said he is running because he believes Texans are tired of Abbott’s “performative culture wars.”
“[Texans] We want a governor who focuses on the things that matter. Our schools, our hospitals, our infrastructure. All three of these things don’t work well at all. Texas is going great, we have the best land, the best people, the best food, but our politics are really corrupt. So, as governor, I will focus on the things that really matter to Texans.”
White, who comes from a family of teachers, said education will be one of his top priorities as governor.
“Everyone wants a great school, whether you call yourself a Republican or a Democrat, you want great teachers. So sending $1 billion in public money to private schools, and the private school voucher plan that Greg Abbott just implemented, is ridiculous. I will make investments in our school systems that will pay off over the next 20 or 30 years.”
When asked why he was the best candidate to beat Abbott, White kept it simple: “He’s a culture warrior, and I’m a problem solver.”
Bobby Cole is a farmer and retired firefighter who launched his campaign in the summer. Cole said he believes there are “some authoritarian tendencies at the national political level,” and believes the legacy of our democracy is at stake.
“If you think you’re under attack, you can sit back and watch what happens or you can get involved and try to make a difference,” Cole said.
Cole said he would fight for the working class, which he believes is being “squeezed out.” He believes it will take someone like him — a political outsider — to bring about change in Texas politics.
“Given my background, being from rural Texas, working class, I think I can resonate with a lot of voters in rural Texas,” Cole said.
Cole says he supports increasing access to rural health care, legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage to $15, and ensuring LGBTQ rights.
Nick Pappas is a retired US Marine who said he decided to run for governor after watching a random YouTube video about the 89th Legislature. Pappas, the son of a retired Texas teacher, said he was frustrated by the education policy passed this year.
Pappas said his priorities are ranked-choice voting, repealing the state’s new education savings account program, and “starting tax reform immediately.”
Proposition 1 would expand access to job training to address the “skills gap” in Texas
Texas voters will soon decide whether to amend the state constitution to improve workers’ access to technical training. Proposition 1 would create an investment fund to support the development and improvement of the company’s footprint Texas State Technical College (TSTC).
TSTC provides technical career education and training for the future of Texas’ highly skilled workforce. It offers programs to help students earn an associate’s degree or certificate in a technical profession such as welding or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technology.
The proposal comes at a time of high demand for technical workers as companies like Tesla, Samsung and SpaceX expand into Texas.
It’s a demand the college is having difficulty meeting. If the college is somehow able to quadruple its graduate production, “there will still be a skills gap in Texas,” said Joe Arnold, vice chancellor for government relations at TSTC. Arnold estimates there are more than 1 million open technician jobs in Texas right now.
Gov. Greg Abbott cited the need to grow career technical training in high schools during his State of the State address in February. “Many of the most in-demand jobs are jobs like welding, plumbing and electrical,” Abbott said.
TSTC has 11 campuses across the state and a 12th campus is scheduled to open in Denton County in the next few years. Growth and renewal are a challenge for the college system due to a lack of financial stability, Arnold said. TSTC is not like a regular community college. It is a government agency that cannot call bond elections or levy a tax on homeowners.
During the 89th legislative session, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment — SGR59 – Establishing two funds to address this issue. If a majority of Texas voters approve Proposition 1, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts would deposit $850 million from the state’s general fund into the newly created Arts Foundations Infrastructure Fund (TIFF), which would be an endowment. The Available Workforce Education Fund (AWEF) will also be established.
Texas Policy Research, a nonpartisan public policy organization that believes in limited government, recommends voters vote no on Proposition 1. “While expanding access to workforce education supports individual liberty and personal responsibility, including this preferential funding mechanism in the Constitution undermines limited government and transparency,” the organization said in its justification for the no vote. “With regular budgetary oversight it would better support financial accountability.”
Some of TIFF’s profits will be put into AWEF each year, which the college system can then utilize for capital projects. The funds cannot be used to pay salaries or utility bills. It is intended exclusively for capital projects such as purchasing land, new equipment, or renovating old buildings.
“It’s time for the next generation,” Hunt highlights age in his U.S. Senate campaign
US Rep. Wesley Hunt is highlighting his age in the Republican primary race for US Senate. His campaign adds a new dimension to a race previously seen as a close contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“What I realized is that it is time for the next generation of leadership to step into the fray to lead us forward,” Hunt said. He noted that he has three young children, which affects his leadership style.
Hunt added: “Every decision I make hinges on their future. I have to make sure I’m doing the right thing because I’ll be there to see those decisions I’m making now come to fruition.”
Hunt is 43, about 19 years younger than Paxton, and more than 30 years younger than Cornyn.
Explaining his decision to run, Hunt said: “I believe now is the time to continue giving my best years to this country because the United States Senate is not a community for retirees.”
Annual Texas Trends Surveyfrom the University of Houston and Texas Southern University shows Paxton leading Cornyn 34%-33%, while Hunt comes in at 22%. However, the entire poll was conducted between September 19 and October 1, before Hunt announced his candidacy.
Texas HHSC is applying for grants to assist rural hospitals
Rural Texas hospitals are in the spotlight after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) created a law Rural health transformation RHT program, a $50 billion national fund for rural hospitals. Half of the money will be directed equally to each state, while the other half will be distributed through the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). States requesting additional funds must submit their requests to CMS in early November.
On Monday, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) held a hearing where Texas health care professionals were invited to express their concerns and priorities that should be considered in Texas’ application for RHT.
Prior to the hearing, HHSC emphasized the importance of direct and local control of funds.
“This money, if we get it, is yours,” HHSC Provider Finance Director Victoria Grady said to open the hearing. “They’re from rural Texas, and we want to prioritize local control as much as possible. We want to get as much of the $50 billion for Texas as possible.”
While the OBBBA creates the RHT, the law is not entirely positive for rural health care. With cuts to Medicaid, Scoggin estimates rural hospitals in Texas will see a 3-6% rise in the number of uninsured clients, which costs hospitals the most.
According to the CMS website, RHT grants will be announced by the end of the year.