Democrat Gina Hinojosa has defeated Republican Gov.
Greg Abbott, bringing more than three decades of GOP control over the Texas governor’s office to an end, according to the Associated Press’ race call.
At 52, Hinojosa is set to make history as Texas’ first Latina governor.
Gina Hinojosa is married to John Philip Donisi, an Austin-based lawyer whose professional work includes government, administrative law and real estate matters. The couple have two sons, Matteo Amador Donisi and Pablo Leonardo Donisi. Hinojosa campaigned on a populist agenda focused on revitalizing public education and limiting the influence of wealthy donors and corporate interests in state affairs. Despite facing a spending disadvantage of more than four to one, she managed to unseat the three-term Republican governor. Her win was part of a wider Democratic surge across Texas, where the party had struggled to secure major electoral victories for years. However, her campaign struggled for months to gain traction, overshadowed by the U.S. Senate race and facing a fundraising disadvantage against both Abbott and the party’s emerging standard-bearer, James Talarico.
Gina Hinojosa was born on December 8, 1973, in McAllen, Texas, and spent her childhood in the Rio Grande Valley, largely in Brownsville. After completing her schooling in Brownsville’s public education system, she attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1996. She later pursued law at George Washington University Law School, where she earned her law degree in 1999.
She was raised in a politically engaged family, with her father, Gilberto Hinojosa, having previously served as chair of the Texas Democratic Party .
