Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa led Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday night as election results continued to come in across Texas. According to unofficial Associated Press results, Hinojosa had 3,293,713 votes, or 56.7%, while Abbott had 2,438,582 votes, or 42%. Third-party candidate Pat Dixon had 73,220 votes, or 1.3% of the reported vote.
The Associated Press estimated that 55.69% of the statewide vote had been counted. The latest returns showed Hinojosa ahead by 855,131 votes, a margin of nearly 15 percentage points. No projected winner had been called.
Abbott, who has served as governor since 2015, is seeking a fourth four-year term. Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative, is challenging him in a race The Texas Tribune identifies as competitive. The governor serves as the state's chief executive and appoints about 1,500 people to leadership posts across state agencies, boards and commissions.