Taxes
Greg Abbott (R)
Abbott has built his record on aggressive property-tax cutting while leaving Texas's no-income-tax structure intact and deferring to Washington on federal rates. In July 2023 he signed an $18 billion package — the largest property tax cut in Texas history — that raised the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000, and in 2025 the state committed roughly $51 billion over the biennium to school-tax buy-downs and exemptions. Launching his 2026 reelection, Abbott proposed a constitutional amendment to abolish school-district property taxes for homeowners, cap appraisal growth, and tighten local revenue caps — a plan independent fiscal analysts at Every Texan called more 'messaging' than a realistic proposal. On Trump's tariffs, Abbott has been a public defender, framing them as leverage for border security and posting at Justin Trudeau, 'Careful Trudeau. The Texas economy is larger than Canada's. And we're not afraid to use it.' He has not publicly weighed in on the proposed 50-year mortgage.
Gina Hinojosa (D)
Hinojosa has built her tax messaging around what she calls the 'Greg Abbott Corruption Tax,' arguing the incumbent has handed out 'sweetheart deals and tax breaks to billionaire donors' while ordinary Texans absorb higher costs, and she has pledged to 'put money back in their pockets' as governor. On property taxes, she has proposed using the roughly $11 billion in unpaid federal Operation Lone Star reimbursements to fund property tax relief for households earning under $75,000 — rather than Abbott's across-the-board cuts — and has also called for returning unspent Rainy Day Fund dollars to taxpayers. She has not embraced a state income tax (Texas constitutionally bars one) and has not detailed federal individual or corporate rate positions, though her affordability frame consistently targets 'billionaires and corporations.' She broke with most Democrats to endorse President Trump's proposed federal gas-tax suspension, calling it a 'non-partisan' cost-of-living issue. She has not taken a specific public position on Trump's 2025–2026 tariffs.
Sources
- Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor, official campaign priorities page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
- Patrick Svitek, 'Gov. Greg Abbott signs $18 billion property tax cut into law,' Texas Tribune, July 22, 2023. (full list)
- Joshua Fechter, 'Gov. Greg Abbott wants to abolish school district property taxes for homeowners,' Texas Tribune, Dec. 9, 2025. (full list)
- Joshua Fechter, 'Greg Abbott's property tax proposal is more messaging than policy, analysts say,' Texas Tribune, Dec. 11, 2025. (full list)
- CBS News Texas, 'Gov. Abbott says Trump uses tariffs as leverage to boost border security,' CBS News Texas, Feb. 2025. (full list)
- Gov. Greg Abbott, X (formerly Twitter), 'Careful Trudeau. The Texas economy is larger than Canada's. And we're not afraid to use it.' Feb. 1, 2025. (full list)
- Hinojosa for Texas, 'Hinojosa calls on Greg Abbott to secure $11 billion owed to Texas taxpayers, help struggling Texans,' campaign press release, May 2026. (full list)
- Hinojosa for Texas, 'Statement: Hinojosa on President Trump's support for suspending the gas tax,' campaign press release, May 2026. (full list)
- Fox 26 Houston, 'Texas Democrat governor Gina Hinojosa favors returning billions in state Rainy Day Fund to Texans,' FOX 26 Houston, 2026. (full list)
- Houston Public Media, 'Texas governor election 2026: Gina Hinojosa vs. Greg Abbott,' Jan. 7, 2026. (full list)
- Yahoo News, 'Gov. Greg Abbott on taxes, Gina Hinojosa response,' Yahoo News, 2026. (full list)