Gina Hinojosa Wins Texas Governor Race as Reproductive Rights Advocates Eye Legislative Shift
“I’m feeling just overcome with joy and relief,” 21-year-old Ava Marchant said as tears streamed down her face, trading embraces with family members at an election night party. “When Abbott’s been governor, you know, I’ve just felt pressure as a woman in Texas, and I felt scared.”
Marchant’s reaction followed the announcement that Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governor’s race. The victory marks the first time in more than three decades that Texas will have a Democratic governor. Alongside the gubernatorial win, the Texas House of Representatives has a blue majority, and Democrats were elected to the roles of lieutenant governor and attorney general, setting up a dramatic political realignment in a state known for having some of the tightest abortion restrictions in the United States.
For years, Texas has enforced bans on abortion, permitting the procedure only in narrow medical circumstances where the mother’s life or a major bodily function is at risk. The conservative Legislature previously pioneered new methods to crack down on abortion, while Attorney General Ken Paxton doggedly pursued their enforcement. The election results have created an unfamiliar reality for both sides of the debate.
A Shift in the Texas House While the Senate Stays Red
Anti-abortion advocates acknowledge the change in momentum. John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, noted that this is the biggest shift he has seen in the last 22 years working on pro-life legislation. Yet, despite Democratic gains in the House, the Texas Senate remains under Republican control, with the GOP holding 19 of 31 seats.
That partisan split means any sweeping repeal of existing abortion laws faces a high legislative hurdle. Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, pointed out that it took 30 years for the Republicans to get to this point of creating the bans that exist in Texas law now. Unwinding those regulations will require deliberate pacing.
Before yesterday, Avow was committed to what we were calling another 30-year long-haul fight. Today, we’re standing in the pool of what was called the impossible. So I choose to believe. — raven e. Freeborn, CEO of Avow
While reproductive rights organizations like Avow prepare to strategize around potential legislative victories during the session starting in January, anti-abortion leaders are hunkering down to defend the status quo. The Texas Senate remains red, and advocates expect anti-abortion members of the Senate to fight hard to protect what they created, though bills that introduce more exceptions to abortion laws, such as for rape or incest, may be successful.
Executive Branch Appointments and Legal Enforcement Battles Ahead
Beyond the Capitol steps, the incoming gubernatorial administration holds significant sway. Governor-elect Hinojosa will have the authority to make appointments.
Kaitlyn Kash, a former plaintiff in a high-profile lawsuit challenging Texas abortion laws who sought care out of state after her baby was diagnosed with a severe developmental disorder that meant it was unlikely to survive birth, reflected on the unpredictable nature of the legislative arena. After years of conservative policy wins and legislative setbacks, Kash is turning her focus toward mobilizing affected citizens to engage directly with lawmakers.
“We have this opportunity now to not just have to defend against more attacks,” Kash said. “We have an opportunity to really have the conversations that we need to have with lawmakers to explain the harms of these bans.”
