Democratic front-runner Texas Gov. Gina Hinojosa is statistically tied with incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in a new virtual poll.
Her campaign press release on Thursday, February 12, cited a new poll conducted by GBAO Strategies. The data also states:
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Polls show Abbott’s support has fallen sharply, continuing a trend in recent polls, with the gap narrowing to 3 percentage points.
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Support for Hinojosa drops sharply among independent voters, leading Abbott by 16 points
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Young voters overwhelmingly support Hinojosa: Among voters under 30, Hinojosa leads Abbott by 29 percentage points
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Path to Latino Vote Victory: Hinojosa Reached 57% of Latino Vote Before Spending a Dime on Paid Media
“Greg Abbott put a for sale sign on Texas, and now people are ready for change,” Hinojosa said. “Texans deserve better than a governor who sells them out every time. Greg Abbott’s corrupt taxes keep Texans from affording homes, accessing quality health care, and keeping our neighborhood schools open.”
In what she calls a “working people’s movement,” the Democratic front-runner again accused Abbott of making Texans pay for “Albert’s corruption.”
The poll’s results are consistent with recent data showing a shift underway in Texas. Union President Taylor Rehmet defeated her Republican opponent by 14 points in the Tarrant County Senate District 9 race, a seat Trump won by 17 points in 2024 despite a 10-to-1 outlay.
Recent polls released by Emerson and the University of Houston Hobby School also show single-digit races. The results show that when Democrats focus on core economic issues and reject corporate influence, they can win even in traditional Republican territory.
“Hinojosa’s campaign is focused on three core priorities that resonate across the state: making life affordable for working-class Texans by ending the corruption that drives up costs; holding Abbott accountable for rigging the system for his donors; and strengthening our community’s schools by raising teacher pay, halting the onslaught of standardized testing and rooting out the waste in the Abbott voucher scam,” a campaign press release said.
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Greg Abbott pushes for property tax relief on campaign trail
Property taxes for Texas homeowners once again became a hot topic on the campaign trail in Houston on Wednesday, February 11th.
Abbott’s 5-point property tax relief plan calls for:
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Common sense local spending limits
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Two-thirds of voters approve tax increase
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Empower voters to cut taxes
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Assessing predictability and capping growth
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Eliminate school property taxes for homeowners
“We know Texans are facing burdens due to soaring local property taxes and rising costs,” said Governor Abbott. “We are here to cut taxes for families and small businesses and ensure they can keep more of their hard-earned money. That’s why we passed a $125,000 property tax exemption so small businesses can keep more of their money, hire more employees, expand their operations, and get relief from skyrocketing local property taxes.”
The Abbott campaign noted that with the world’s eighth-largest economy, Texas remains one of the most affordable states in the nation, with no income tax, death tax, capital gains tax and state property tax.
Abbott’s fiscal platform includes measures such as lowering local property taxes, expanding homestead protections and advancing conservative fiscal policies.
Eliminating school property taxes on homeowners has been a contentious issue for several school districts, which worry about continued underfunding for students while grappling with the state’s voucher program.
More information on the Texas gubernatorial ballot Who is Governor Greg Abbott? Facts about Texas Governor, 2026 election information
Important dates for primary and general elections
The voter registration deadline is February 2, and voters must register to vote by this date to participate in the primary election.
Early in-person voting begins on February 17th and runs through February 27th.
If a runoff election is required, it will be held on May 26. If no candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary, the two candidates with the highest votes will face off in a runoff.
The last day to register to vote in the November general election is October 5, and you can register online, by mail or in person.
Early voting begins on October 19th and runs through October 30th. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 23 (by mail) or October 19 (in person). The deadline to return absentee ballots is November 3, and can be returned by mail or in person on Election Day.
Kristian Jaime is the El Paso Times’ top news reporter and can be reached at kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: Texas gubernatorial race: Gina Hinojosa statistically tied with Greg Abbott
