State of Texas: Hinojosa joins Democrats vying to challenge Greg Abbott in 2026

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Greg Abbott is expected to win reelection in next year's race for Texas Governor. 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 the city of Brownsville, where she grew up, to launch her campaign for Governor.

"Texas needs a governor who works for you, and I will be that governor," Hinojosa told a crowd gathered for the announcement. Supporters cheered, with some waving signs that read "No Te Dejes." That phrase translates as a directive to "know yourself and fight for it," Hinojosa said during her speech.

"I will be the first governor of the state of Texas from the Rio Grande Valley," Hinojosa said, drawing a round of cheering from supporters in the room.

Hinojosa started her career as a labor lawyer. She said she never wanted to be a politician, but decided to get involved after her son's school was threatened to be closed and was elected to the Austin Independent School District school board. She was then elected to the State House in 2016 and has served the Austin area in the Capitol ever since.

Hinojosa has been a vocal proponent of public education in her time at the Capitol. She said her campaign will also emphasize affordability and health care.

When asked about her intentions in running for governor, Hinojosa said that Texans need a governor who “prioritizes the needs of Texans, as opposed to the billionaire class, which is what we're seeing Governor Greg Abbott do.”

Hinojosa has been one of the harshest critics of Abbott, who is running for his fourth consecutive term. Following Hinojosa's announcement, Abbott's campaign manager, Kim Snyder, released a statement:

“Time and again, Gina Hinojosa chooses woke, extreme 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 Gov. Abbott next year. Andrew White, an entrepreneur and the son of former Gov. Mark White, said he's running because he believes Texans are tired of Abbott’s “performative culture wars.”

“[Texans] want a governor who will focus on the things that matter. Our schools, our hospitals, and our infrastructure. All three of those things aren't doing very well at all. Texas is doing great, we have the best land, the best people, and the best food, but our boy our politics is really messed up. So as governor, I'll be focused on the things that really matter to Texans.”

Hailing from a family of educators, White said that education would 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 a billion dollars of public money to private schools, the private school voucher plan that Greg Abbott just did, is ridiculous. I'll make the investments into our school systems that will pay off for the next 20 or 30 years.”

When asked why he’s the best candidate to beat Abbott, White kept it simple: “He’s a culture warrior, I’m a problem solver.”

Bobby Cole is rancher and a retired firefighter who launched his campaign in the summer. Cole said he believes at the national political level there are "some authoritarian tendencies afoot," and thinks the legacy of our democracy is at stake.

"If you think it's under attack, you can sit and watch it happen or you can get involved and try to make a difference," Cole said.

Cole said he will fight for working class people who he believes are being "squeezed out." He believes it will take someone like him -- a political outsider -- to bring change to Texas politics.

"With my background, being from rural Texas, working class, I believe I can resonate with a lot of voters in rural Texas," Cole said.

Cole says he supports increasing access to rural healthcare, legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage to $15, and ensuring LGBTQ rights.

Nick Pappas is a retired U.S. Marine who said he decided to run for governor after watching a random video on YouTube about the 89th legislature. Pappas, the son of a retired Texas teacher, said he was frustrated with the education policy that was passed this year.

Pappas said his priorities are ranked choice voting, abolishing the state's new education savings account program, and "immediately instituting tax reform."

Prop 1 would expand job training access to address 'skills gap' in Texas

Texas voters will soon decide whether to amend the state's constitution to improve access to technical training for workers. Proposition 1 would create an investment fund to support growing and improving the footprint of the Texas State Technical College (TSTC).

The TSTC offers technical vocational education and training for the future of Texas' highly-skilled workforce. It offers programs to help students gain an associates degree or certificate in a technical career like welding or HVAC technology.

The proposition comes at a time of high demand for technical workers as businesses like Tesla, Samsung and SpaceX expand in Texas.

It's a demand the college is having a hard time meeting. Joe Arnold, the deputy vice chancellor in government relations for TSTC, said if the college was somehow able to quadruple the output of graduates, "there would still be a skills gap in Texas." Arnold estimates there are over a million technician positions open in Texas right now.

Gov. Greg Abbott referenced the need to grow career technical training in high schools during his State of the State address back in February. "Many of the most in-demand jobs are careers like welding, plumbing, and electricians," Abbott said.

TSTC has 11 campuses across the state with a 12th campus scheduled to open in Denton County in the next few years. Arnold said it's been a challenge for the college system to grow and renovate because of a lack of financial stability. TSTC is not like your regular community college. It's a state agency that can not call for a bond election or levy a tax on homeowners.

During the 89th legislative session, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment -- SJR 59 -- to create two funds to address this issue. If a majority of Texas voters approve Prop 1, then the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts would deposit $850 million from the state's general fund to the newly created Technical Institution Infrastructure Fund (TIFF) that would act as an endowment. It would also create the Available Workforce Education Fund (AWEF).

Texas Policy Research, a nonpartisan public policy organization that believes in limited government, recommends voters vote no on Prop 1. In its rationale for a 'no' vote, the organization said, "While expanding access to workforce education supports individual liberty and personal responsibility, embedding this preferential funding mechanism in the Constitution undermines limited government and transparency. A statutory approach with normal budget oversight would better uphold fiscal accountability."

Some of the earnings from the TIFF will be placed in the AWEF every year, which the college system could then draw from for capital projects. The money could not be used to pay for salaries or utility bills. It is strictly for capital projects like buying land, new equipment or renovating aging buildings.

'It's time for the next generation,' Hunt highlights age in campaign for U.S. Senate

U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt is putting a spotlight on his age in the Republican primary race for U.S. Senate. His campaign adds a new dimension to a race that was previously seen as a close contest between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"What I've realized is that it's time for the next generation of leadership to step into the fray to lead us moving forward," Hunt said. He noted that he has three young children, which influences his approach to leadership.

"Every decision I make hinges on their future. I got to make sure that I'm doing the right thing because I'm going to be around to see those decisions that I make now come to fruition," Hunt added.

Hunt is 43, roughly 19 years younger than Paxton, and more than 30 years younger than Cornyn.

"I believe it is now time to continue to give my best years to this country because the United States Senate is not a retirement community," Hunt said, explaining his decision to run.

The annual Texas Trends Survey from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University shows Paxton leading Cornyn 34%-33%, with Hunt coming in at 22%. However, the entirety of the poll was conducted between Sept. 19 and Oct. 1, before Hunt announced his candidacy.

Texas HHSC to apply for grants to help rural hospitals

Texas Rural Hospitals are in the spotlight after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) created the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, a national $50 billion fund reserved for rural hospitals. Half of the funds will go towards each state equally, while the other half will be distributed by U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). States requesting extra funds have to have their applications to CMS in early November.

Monday, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) held a hearing where Texas healthcare professionals were invited to voice their concerns and priorities that should be considered in the Texas’ application for the RHT.

Before the hearing, HHSC emphasized the importance of direct and local control of the funds.

“These funds, if we get them, are yours," Director of Provider Finance at HHSC Victoria Grady said to open the hearing. "They belong to rural Texans, and we want to prioritize local control as much as possible. We want to get as much of the $50 billion for Texas as we can.”

While the OBBBA creates the RHT, the law isn't wholly positive for rural healthcare. With cuts to Medicaid, Scoggin estimates rural Texas hospitals will see a spike of 3-6% more uninsured clients, which cost hospitals the most.

According to the CMS website, the RHT grants will be announced by the end of the year.