Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa announced her first transition team appointments on Thursday. The picks include former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes, a conservative from rural East Texas who joined Democrats in 2023 to block Abbott's school voucher push, according to the report. Bailes lost his seat after Abbott backed primary challengers against those Republicans in 2024, including the candidate who defeated him.
Hinojosa said she called Bailes a champion for public schools and one of her closest Republican allies on education. "I am going to be the governor for all the people of Texas," she said. Bailes said, "We will put partisanship aside."
Other appointees include Tamala Barksdale, a former Austin ISD trustee who served with Hinojosa on the school board, and Ryan Pollock, a union electrician and executive director of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council. Joe Madden, a Houston public affairs consultant, will serve as the transition team's executive director.