Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa told KVUE she’s preparing to announce her running for the 2026 Texas governor’s race.
AUSTIN, Texas — A member of the Texas House of Representatives has announced her running to become the state’s next governor.
Early Wednesday morning, Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa shared her plans to enter the race ahead of the 2026 election.
“Our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations who are driving up prices, closing our neighborhood schools and cheating Texans out of basic health care,” she said in a video posted to X. “I’m running for governor to work for you.”
Hinojosa told KVUE that voters across Texas are “essential,” and that she plans to travel throughout the state during her campaign.
When asked about whether the state is ready for a Democratic governor, Hinojosa said, “What I’m hearing is Texans are ready for change. Politics as usual just doesn’t cut it anymore, no one wants that.”
Hinojosa is joining four other Democrats who have declared candidacy: retired firefighter and East Texas farmer Bobby Cole, Bay City council member Ben Flores, veteran Nick Pappas and Houston businessman Andrew White.
State Rep. Hinojosa’s career
The 51-year-old served on the Austin ISD school board from 2012 to late 2015 before running for the Texas House of Representatives in 2016.
The Rio Grande Valley native officially took office in 2017, representing Austin’s District 49.
Hinojosa was re-elected for the role last year. She “organized the first House Democratic Caucus Quorum Break in two decades in response to the anti-voter bill, SB 7,” according to the Texas House of Representatives.