Democrat Gina Hinojosa has won the Texas governor's race, defeating Gov. Greg Abbott, according to The Associated Press. Abbott conceded Tuesday night, ending his bid for a fourth term. Hinojosa would be the first Democratic governor of Texas since 1995.
Abbott told supporters at his Austin watch party that he called Hinojosa to congratulate her after reviewing results from every county. He said there are still votes to be counted but that "mathematically, we're not going to be able to win this election." He said he told Hinojosa he would help with the transition. As of 10:21 p.m., the AP reported Hinojosa had 57% of the vote, or 4,022,000 votes, to Abbott's 41.7%, or 2,946,679 votes.
Hinojosa, a state representative and former Austin school board president, campaigned on public education and affordability. She has criticized the STAAR test and the state's school voucher program and opposes state takeovers of school districts. Abbott campaigned on border security and affordability. In a separate race, Democrat James Talarico won the U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to the AP.