REMARKS: Governor-Elect Hinojosa Declares Victory in Texas Governor’s Race

Austin, TX – This evening, Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa declared victory in the 2026 Texas gubernatorial election in remarks delivered to supporters in Austin.

Read Governor-elect Hinojosa’s full remarks below.

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“Everything is bigger in Texas – and so is this win. Texas, we have shocked the world tonight. With a Texas chip on our shoulder, we showed that anything is possible. It never bothered me that they doubted me, that they doubted us. Hundreds of millions in attack ads, written off over and over again. Texas, my faith in you never wavered once.

“I have spoken to Governor Greg Abbott, who called to congratulate me and extended a generous offer to assist with the transition. I want to thank him and his family for their years of service to this state.

“I stand before you humbled, grateful, and in awe of the incredible grace and power of God, and of Texas. I am a daughter of the Rio Grande Valley, where the people embody the work ethic and values of our state, where no one would have imagined that one day, a little girl from the RGV would stand before you here, as the next Governor of the greatest state, Texas.

“But God had a plan — and so did the people of Texas. It’s not a plan I knew about. I never set out to be a politician. I’m a mom. A mom who loves her children. Who believes in their teachers. And who believes in Texas public schools. And when I saw my child’s school under threat, I did what any Texas mom would do. I fought back. I ran for the school board. Because I wanted my child, and every Texas child, to have the opportunity to succeed. From the school board to the Texas House of Representatives. And now, with your extraordinary faith, with the trust of the people of Texas, to the Governor’s Mansion.

“When we started this campaign a little over a year ago, I asked a simple question: Does Texas belong to the people of Texas, or is this the billionaires’ world and we just live in it? Does Texas belong to parents and their children, or the billionaires trying to dismantle our schools? Does Texas belong to the farmers and ranchers who have worked this land for generations, or the corporations buying it up? Does Texas belong to the working families who pay their taxes and do everything right, or the wealthy and well-connected who play by different rules? Does Texas belong to the people who rise before the sun, who work two jobs, who build our homes, who keep our hospitals running, who put everything they’ve got into small businesses and big dreams? Or does it belong to the people who write the biggest checks to politicians in Austin?

“Tonight, Texas, we answered — and we didn’t whisper. We answered loud enough for every billionaire, every lobbyist, and every corrupt politician in Austin to hear: Texas belongs to us.

“It’s a question we answered in McAllen and Corpus Christi. Dallas and in Temple. In San Antonio and Lubbock. From the neighborhoods of Austin to the wide-open skies of West Texas, all the way out to Big Bend.

“We answered in our big cities, where they tried to silence your voice with gerrymandered maps and closed polling sites, only to see turnout like never before, and you answered in small towns, where people had been told their vote was already spoken for. We answered in communities politicians visit every four years to ask for your vote, only to forget about you the minute they get to Austin. We answered in places that have been overlooked, underestimated, and left behind for far too long. And we answered across party lines, because this campaign was always about whether the people of Texas ought to have a government that belongs to them. Not the highest bidder. Not the biggest donor. Not the most powerful lobbyist. YOU.

“And I want to say something to the powerful people who have gotten very comfortable running this state. The voters have delivered a mandate for change, and it is change they will get. We will lead with a politics of courage, not convenience. Progress will not be halted by partisanship, and Texas will bow to no one.

“The days of treating our public schools like they’re for sale are over. The days of treating our tax dollars like your personal piggy bank are over. The days of writing one set of rules for working people and another for the wealthy and well-connected are over. And the days of telling Texans to settle for less, while only billionaires in boardrooms profit from a state we have all built — those days are over, too.

“This state was built by people with calloused hands and tired feet. By teachers and nurses. By oilfield workers and truck drivers. By small-business owners who put everything they had on the line. By parents who sacrificed so their children could have a better life. Those are the people who ought to come first in the state they built. They have labored and maintained an American dream through a long, hard night.

“My friends, it is morning now.

“Tomorrow, our transition begins. And in January, I will take the oath of office, ready to lead a government by and for the people. Not for the people who donated the most. Not for the people who know the right people. But for every single Texan. Because the governor’s office does not belong to me. It doesn’t belong to my party. It belongs to you. This is our Texas. This is our government. And this is our one fight. And tonight, we won.

“Let me be clear: we did not end one era of single-party rule just to usher in another. The same national pundits and political class who ignored and then misunderstood this campaign will declare this a victory for Democrats. They continue to misunderstand. This victory is so much bigger — it belongs to Texas.

“It is a victory for taxpayers who work too hard to see their money handed out to donors and special interests. We will end the era of no-bid contracts.

“It is a victory for young people across Texas, who possess unimaginable talents but have been left feeling so little hope. You will never have to choose between the state you love and a job that’ll pay your worth. You will have the economy that serves your ambitions, dreams, and hard work, a government on your side, and the hope you deserve.

“It is a victory for teachers who will be paid what they are worth — and in case you have not heard, on day one, I will fire Mike Morath, and we will work tirelessly to repair the damage of the Texas vouchers scam and end an era in which our schools are sold for parts.

“It is a victory for the parents of Texas: We are taking our children’s education back from a government that has failed them. Schools will not be taken out of our control, shuttered or suffocated. Being a parent is hard enough without carrying the burden of a government’s failures.

“To the children of Texas: your schools will not close. You will be invested in, and you will grow up in a Texas where you are lifted up every single day to reach your God-given potential.

“Tonight, I make a solemn promise to every single Texan. Whether you voted for me or Governor Abbott, or felt so betrayed by broken politics that you did not vote at all. Whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or neither. No matter where you live. No matter what your expectations of me are. No matter how accustomed you’ve become to corruption and incompetence. To experiencing government as something that happens to you, not with you or for you, or by you. Hear what Texas said today, loud and clear: Your government belongs to you. And as your governor, I will never forget it.

“There will be no special set of rules for the wealthy and powerful. No looking the other way when someone in my own party does wrong. No excuses for corruption because it comes from someone who shares my politics. Corruption does not become right when our side does it. Accountability does not stop at the doors of the governor’s office. It begins there. The trust you have placed in me tonight is not a blank check. It is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to earn it every single day. There will be times when we disagree. But I promise you this: I will tell you the truth and nothing but the truth. I will serve you and only you. I will listen when you disagree. I will admit when I am wrong. And I will never forget who sent me here. The power of this office does not belong to me. It belongs to you.

“As excited as I am by the history we’ve made tonight, I pray it does not compare to the future we build together. The nation will look at Texas and say we won something far more important than an election. They will look at Texas and say that faith in government has been restored. They will look at Texas and see the power of a government that lifts every single person up and never punches down. We will build a government more honest, more just, and worthy of the people who call Texas home. And we will never forget the simple truth that brought us here tonight: Texas belongs to the people of Texas.

“I can’t help but think of my grandmother who used to tell me, ‘No te dejes.’ ‘Know your worth, and fight for it.’ A lot of Latinas in Texas grew up hearing those same words from their own mothers and abuelas. This year, we lived them, and we changed this state.

“I need to thank just some of the people who made this possible.

“Pablo, no one has sacrificed more than you in the past year. You have been so supportive and gracious, and I am so proud of you. Even though neither you or Matteo asked for any of this, my fight for change comes from my love for the two of you and my wish to make this world better and safer for you. You have both been so understanding and encouraging, and I thank you so much.

“To my husband John, who I made promise to never run for office, you’ve been the rock who has held it all down and sacrificed and stood beside me in the hardest fights. This is not possible without you. I love you.

“To my sister Xochitl, who spent a year telling everyone who would listen that we would win, who believed so relentlessly and with such certainty, it finally came true. I love you.

“Mom and Dad, Cyndi and Robert, my brothers and sisters, and my entire family: Thank you.  Thank you for working day and night. Everything I believe and love about this state is because of you. I love all of you.

“To our next United States Senator James Talarico – for years we believed there had to be a different, and better, way forward. It looks like we were right. Thank you, and congratulations, my friend.

“To Amy Friedman, you are an angel sent down from heaven to run this campaign. You believed in me, and you believed in Texas. I will never forget all that you gave to get us here. You led the best campaign team in the nation, a campaign team that I hope gets some well-earned sleep tonight.

“To the people who showed up early and often, who posted when I could still keep track of who was tagging me, whether it was ten times a day from Houston or DMs spreading my message to Texas newcomers. Who showed up at events when it was still only familiar faces, who gave your labor and your love, you took a leap of faith. Thank you.

“And to my hometown, Brownsville: tonight, one of your own becomes the first governor of Texas from the Rio Grande Valley.

“Goodnight, and God bless Texas!”

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