Texas, a "Conservative Stronghold," Elects First Latina Democratic Governor in 36 Years

Gina Hinojosa Elected After Defeating Greg Abbott
First Democratic Governor in 36 Years, Since 1990

Texas, considered a traditional Republican stronghold, has elected its first Democratic governor in 36 years.

According to the Associated Press, Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who was seeking a fourth term, in the gubernatorial race held in Texas on November 3 (local time).

Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa speaks at an education town hall in Cypress on the 10th (local time). Cypress, United States = AFP-Yonhap.

This is the first time in 36 years, since 1990, during President George H.W. Bush's administration, that a Democrat has been elected governor of Texas.

Hinojosa, a Latina, worked as a labor attorney before serving in the Texas state legislature from 2017. Her opponent, Governor Abbott, is a staunch supporter of President Trump and is well known after serving three terms as governor, while Hinojosa has had lower public recognition. Abbott's campaign was also reported to have spent $180 million (241.3 billion won) since last year to support Republicans. The Associated Press reported that Hinojosa boosted her approval ratings by speaking out forcefully on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and corruption.

At her victory celebration that day, Hinojosa told supporters, "My faith in Texas has never wavered."

Earlier, Democratic candidate James Talarico was also reported to be all but certain to win the U.S. Senate race in Texas. As a result, Democratic candidates won both the governorship and a Senate seat in a state considered a major conservative stronghold.

The AP said, "This election has made Texas a new battleground state," adding that "it shows that the Republican Party's poor performance, which has spread nationwide, is also clearly evident in traditional Republican strongholds where Democrats have not won for decades."

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