Democrats will soon take over the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, railroad commissioner and agriculture commissioner, the first time the party has held any of those offices since the mid-1990s. Democrats will also control the Texas House for the first time since 2002. Multiple economists and analysts told The Dallas Morning News that the change does not amount to a sudden threat to the state's economic growth or its pro-business reputation.
Gov. Greg Abbott warned in October, at an Abilene event, that the state's economy "can all be destroyed in one election." He also said "radical" Democrats would "crush our economy, destroy jobs and increase taxes." Dallas real estate developer Ray Washburne said he first wants to know the Democratic agenda.
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa's campaign focused on affordability. She proposed one-time $1,500 checks funded from the state's $17 billion Rainy Day Fund, an idea that would also need Legislature approval. As part of a plan to cut homeowners' property taxes, she has vowed to reduce "corporate welfare," the state's subsidies to industries and large companies. Hinojosa said Texas has always been pro-business but should first be a pro-Texan state.