Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa made her first public appearance since defeating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, using a Thursday press conference in Austin to announce a bipartisan transition team and insist Democrats will govern for the whole state, according to the Texas Tribune.
“This is a transition for the whole state of Texas,” Hinojosa said at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, per the Tribune. “We will have a bipartisan transition, and we will have a bipartisan administration and government in Texas.”
Texas' Gina Hinojosa holds first briefing as governor-elect https://t.co/CBdRVLhpQT
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 5, 2026
The remarks land two days after midterm results flipped Texas statewide offices and the Texas House toward Democrats for the first time in decades, the Tribune reported. Reuters posted video of Hinojosa telling reporters she intends to be “the governor for all the people of Texas.”
Hinojosa named Joe Madden, former chief of staff to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, as transition executive director, according to the Texas Tribune. Former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes, labor leader Ryan Pollock of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council, and former Austin ISD trustee Tamala Barksdale were also listed on the initial team.
Bailes, who introduced himself as a “conservative Republican,” said he believes in Hinojosa and that the team will “put partisanship aside” for Texas kids, the Tribune reported. Bailes opposed Abbott’s private school voucher push in 2023 and later lost a Republican primary after Abbott backed his challenger, according to the Tribune.
Hinojosa still faces a Republican-majority Texas Senate even as Democrats take the House and other statewide posts, the Tribune noted. Asked about possible Senate moves to curb incoming Lt. Gov. Vikki Goodwin’s powers, Hinojosa said, “The people of Texas have spoken, and I think it’s important that as elected leaders we respect what the people of Texas have said,” according to the Tribune.
On the campaign trail, Hinojosa promised a $1,500 payment to every Texas household from the state savings account, an end to public school takeovers, a rollback of the school voucher program, Medicaid expansion, and cuts she framed as “waste, fraud and abuse,” the Tribune reported. The Tribune reported she said Thursday that her team is “actively interviewing” candidates to replace Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, whom she pledged to fire on inauguration day.
Daily Caller noted Hinojosa also campaigned on an immediate halt to new data centers in Texas, tying the AI-power boom to voter backlash. Conservatives watching the transition will focus on whether a Democratic governor and House can unwind Abbott-era border, education, and energy policies while a GOP Senate remains a brake on the most aggressive proposals.
Hinojosa said Abbott had been “gracious” and that both sides are committed to a smooth handoff, according to the Tribune. She also said she asked Texas Parks and Wildlife to take “no action” during the transition on a potential Boca Chica State Park sale involving SpaceX, a deal she opposed on the campaign trail, the Tribune reported.
The press conference lasted about 14 minutes and centered on transition logistics rather than a full policy rollout, according to the Tribune. What comes next is the fight over whether Tuesday’s Texas earthquake produces durable policy change—or a divided government stalemate.
Sources
- https://www.texastribune.org/2026/11/05/texas-gina-hinojosa-press-conference/
- https://x.com/Reuters/status/2118469581719089362
- https://x.com/DailyCaller/status/2118380676000923867
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: Reuters (@Reuters) on X, Nov 5, 2026
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