How They DifferAbbott · Hinojosa 2026
A no bullshit non-partisan comparison of political candidates
Aggregate score
Abbott 3.9Hinojosa 5.4 H +1.5
Issues

The Economy

Greg Abbott (R)

Abbott's stump speech leans on the 'Texas Miracle': back-to-back top-state rankings for business relocations, including Tesla's gigafactory and headquarters move to Austin, Oracle's 2020 move (since reversed), and Samsung's $17 billion Taylor semiconductor fab announced under his watch in 2021. Energy and the grid remain his most exposed flank: Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 killed at least 246 Texans, knocked out power to more than 4.5 million homes, and exposed unwinterized natural-gas infrastructure; Abbott initially blamed frozen wind turbines before data contradicted him, and the PUC he had appointed was criticized for dismantling oversight. He responded by signing SB 2 and SB 3 in 2021 ordering weatherization and taking personal control of the search for a new ERCOT CEO in 2022. The state's job count has hit successive record highs under his tenure, per his office.

Gina Hinojosa (D)

Hinojosa's economic frame is affordability under corporate consolidation, with her launch speech declaring 'our fight right now is against the billionaires and the corporations who are driving up prices.' She has criticized Abbott for 'hoarding our taxpayer dollars' and proposes returning unspent state surplus and Rainy Day Fund money directly to households, plus pursuing the $11 billion in Operation Lone Star reimbursements still owed by Washington. On energy and grid reliability, she has linked the affordability message to data-center load growth (see AI/Data Centers) and has hosted ERCOT for public reliability briefings since Winter Storm Uri, though she has not endorsed re-regulating the ERCOT market or rejoining the Eastern Interconnection. Water reliability — 'a governor who is going to guarantee that the citizens of Texas will have water when they turn on the tap' — is a stated top-tier priority. She has not put forward a dedicated housing-supply plan.

Sources

  1. Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor, official campaign priorities page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
  2. 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)
  3. Fox 26 Houston, 'Texas Democrat governor Gina Hinojosa favors returning billions in state Rainy Day Fund to Texans,' FOX 26 Houston, 2026. (full list)
  4. Houston Public Media, 'Texas governor election 2026: Gina Hinojosa vs. Greg Abbott,' Jan. 7, 2026. (full list)
  5. KFOX, 'Gina Hinojosa launches campaign for Texas governor, targets water access and schools,' 2025. (full list)
  6. Austin Chronicle, 'ERCOT listening tour offers more explanations than plans,' Feb. 4, 2022. (full list)
  7. Erin Douglas and Mitchell Ferman, 'Greg Abbott took control of the state power grid. Here's how it has fared,' Texas Tribune, Dec. 28, 2021. (full list)
  8. '2021 Texas power crisis,' Wikipedia, accessed May 2026. (full list)
  9. Mitchell Ferman, 'Abbott takes personal control of ERCOT CEO search,' Texas Tribune, Aug. 10, 2022. (full list)
  10. CNBC, 'Gov. Greg Abbott on Oracle, companies moving headquarters to Texas,' Dec. 11, 2020. (full list)
  11. Time, 'Samsung's $17 billion U.S. chip plant in Texas,' Time, 2021. (full list)