In an even bigger shock than the Senate race, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, becoming the state's first Latina governor and its first Democratic governor since 1990.
Hinojosa's victory was projected by CNN, NBC News and the AP on election night November 3, ending 36 years of Republican control of the governor's mansion.
The 52-year-old five-term Austin state lawmaker and civil rights and union lawyer was considered a longshot. The Cook Political Report rated the race "lean Republican" as recently as October 1, and Abbott had never won re-election by fewer than 11 points.
But Hinojosa won decisively. With 67% reporting, AP had her at 56.69% — 4,080,339 votes — to Abbott's 42.02% — 3,024,099 votes, a lead of over 1,056,240 votes and a 14.67-point margin.
Abbott, 68, who has served since 2015, conceded shortly after 10 p.m. Central Time.
"After looking at all the details of every county in the entire state, I made the decision to go ahead and call Gina Hinojosa and congratulate her on winning this race," Abbott said.
CNN called it the clearest illustration of the 2026 blue wave. The same factors that powered James Talarico's Senate win — a revolt over affordability, crossover Republican voters tired of Trump-aligned candidates, and Latino voters swinging back to Democrats — lifted Hinojosa even higher.
Hinojosa will take office in January 2027 for a four-year term. She will have a veto pen, but will face a Republican-controlled legislature.
Her win, paired with Talarico's Senate flip, means Democrats won statewide in Texas for the first time since 1994 — the longest drought in the nation.
President Donald Trump reacted by calling Abbott a "RINO" on Truth Social, writing: "If Greg Abbott hadn't become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn't have lost."
