Lynn Davenport, a lifelong conservative who attended Donald Trump's Stop the Steal rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, has decided to publicly support Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running a surprisingly competitive race for governor of Texas. The two women have been friends for years, since Hinojosa, a state representative from Austin, helped lead opposition to Republican Governor Greg Abbott's effort to privatize Texas' public school system.
Davenport has grown disgusted with Abbott over both schools and the data centers he invited into Texas. She calls him a "globalist" and says his agenda amounts to technocracy that gives tech giants carte blanche in the state. "Gina is someone that I can work with, whereas Abbott doesn't care what I think," she said.
Hinojosa's campaign rests on the belief that the opportunity for Democrats lies with disappointed MAGA populists rather than moderate, affluent Republicans. The analysis is one the reporter found skeptical, since Trump's appeal has never been primarily economic. Hinojosa, a Latina and former labor lawyer whose father led the state Democratic Party from 2012 until 2025, is also one of the more liberal members of the Texas House. Still, supporters such as Mary Lowe, a self-described "fundamental Christian" who has voted Republican for decades, say they will back her in November. "She's a good human," Lowe said. "She's one of us."
Several polls still show Hinojosa trailing by a couple of points, but three recent ones, including a New York Times/Siena poll, have her ahead. Cook Political Report moved the race from "likely" to "lean" Republican, and national Democrats have begun investing more heavily, with JB Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association each giving $1 million. Beto O'Rourke, who lost to Abbott by more than 10 points in 2022, said Hinojosa "certainly has a much better chance."
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing