How They DifferAbbott · Hinojosa 2026
A no bullshit non-partisan comparison of political candidates
Aggregate score
Abbott 3.9Hinojosa 5.4 H +1.5
Originalism (Scalia/Gorsuch strand)textualism & original public meaning, 1986–present portrait
Scoring · Jurists

Originalism (Scalia/Gorsuch strand)
textualism & original public meaning, 1986–present

Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Originalism136 reads constitutional text by 1791-era meaning; major applications — Heller, Bruen, Dobbs, Bostock — track Abbott's and Hinojosa's records differently. Abbott aligns on Heller/Bruen (HB 1927), Dobbs (SB 8), and SB 4's state-power immigration reading. Hinojosa runs against Heller and Dobbs but earns Bostock-flavored credit on HB 73 and LGBTQ-protection votes. Abbott is the substantially closer fit.

Abbott
7
Hinojosa
3
Margin
A +4
Issue
Abbott
Hinojosa
Heller/Bruen Second Amendment (permitless carry HB 1927)
Helps
Hurts
Abbott: Helps · Hinojosa: Hurts
Heller and Bruen built the originalist Second Amendment frame; Abbott's signing of permitless-carry HB 192779 aligns directly, while Hinojosa's gun-regulation posture1 runs against the Heller/Bruen line.
Dobbs / abortion to states (SB 8)
Helps
Hurts
Abbott: Helps · Hinojosa: Hurts
Dobbs returned abortion to state legislatures on originalist grounds; Abbott's SB 836 is the exact kind of state law Dobbs enables, while Hinojosa's pro-Roe position1 runs against the Dobbs-originalist frame.
Textualist state-power immigration reading (SB 4)
Helps
Hurts
Abbott: Helps · Hinojosa: Hurts
Originalist methodology supports state-power readings of immigration enforcement; Abbott's SB 464 is the textualist 'state-power' move, while Hinojosa's opposition rests on federal-preemption arguments1 originalism is methodologically skeptical of.
Bostock textualist surprise (HB 73 gay/trans panic ban)
—
Helps
Abbott: — · Hinojosa: Helps
Bostock applied Title VII textualism to extend LGBTQ employment protections, the originalist methodological surprise; Hinojosa's HB 73 (gay/trans panic defense ban)99 and her LGBTQ-protection votes carry that Bostock-flavored textualist line forward. Abbott's signed LGBTQ-restrictive package runs against the Bostock direction.
LGBTQ-protection votes (Bostock-flavored)
—
Helps
Abbott: — · Hinojosa: Helps
Bostock's textualist surprise read 'sex' to cover sexual orientation and gender identity; Hinojosa's LGBTQ-protection vote record and HB 73 align with the substantive Bostock outcome and pick up methodological credit on a textualist read. Abbott's SB 14/SB 12 record runs against the Bostock substantive read, though Abbott's methodological alignment with originalism is stronger overall.
Federalist Society methodological alignment
Helps
Hurts
Abbott: Helps · Hinojosa: Hurts
Originalism's methodological pole is housed in Federalist Society practice; Abbott's judicial nominations, his SB 4 state-power textualism64, and his Heller/Bruen alignment fit Federalist Society methodological commitments closely, while Hinojosa's substantive positions1 run against several methodological originalism outputs even where she earns Bostock-flavored credit.

Sources

  1. Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor, official campaign priorities page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
  2. Eleanor Klibanoff, 'Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law one of nation's strictest abortion bans,' Texas Tribune, May 19, 2021. (full list)
  3. CBS News, 'Texas immigration law SB 4, making illegal entry a state crime, signed by Greg Abbott,' Dec. 2023. (full list)
  4. Cassandra Pollock, 'Abbott signs HB 1927, Texas permitless-carry law,' Texas Tribune, June 16, 2021. (full list)
  5. 'Gina Hinojosa,' Wikipedia, accessed May 2026 — legislative record including HB 73 gay/trans panic defense ban. (full list)
  6. Originalism (Scalia/Gorsuch strand): textualism and original public meaning, 1986-present. (full list)

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