New Delhi: Texas got its first Latina governor, Gina Hinojosa on 4 November. And not just that, she is the state’s first Democratic governor since Ann Richards left the office in 1995. Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abott in the race for governor. Her win marks the end of three decades of Republican rule in the US’s most populous state.
“Everything is bigger in Texas including the shock of this win,” Hinojosa said to the crowd of supporters. “We shocked the world tonight. With a Texas chip on our shoulder we show that anything is possible.”
For Hinojosa, her campaign pitch was a fight against the billionaires and corporations. She has campaigned for basic healthcare, strengthening public schools, and fair wages.
“Governor Abbott, and a government that’s working for the moneyed interests and leaving the people of Texas to fend for themselves…So, my healthcare policy and platform and plan is to ensure every Texas child has quality healthcare because we have the most uninsured children of any state in America,” she said in an interview.
Her focus on the public education system helped draw suburban mothers who had previously supported MAGA, but were now angry with the education policy, to her side. This coupled with the support of Latino voters sealed her victory.
“The days of treating our public schools like they are for sale are over. I will do everything in my power to make sure that public money stays in our Texas public schools. I am team Texas public schools,” she had once said.
From a contestant to a challenger
Hinojosa’s journey from a fledgling contestant with far fewer resources to becoming a formidable challenger was not easy. Her opponent, Abbott, had outspent her on advertising.
“She starts with no money, no name ID, and has built a juggernaut of a campaign that now has an incumbent three-term governor on the ropes – which is unheard of in my business,” her campaign consultant, Chuck Rocha had said.
A civil rights activist and labour lawyer, Hinojosa’s entry into politics was driven by an issue that was as personal as it was political. A former president of the Austin public school system, she made public education funding, teachers pay and relief from the rising cost of living central to her campaign.
Her first elected office was on the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees in 2012. She entered the race after the budget cuts put her son’s elementary school at risk.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)