Will Democrats finally win in Texas? (with Gina Hinojosa)

Dasha Burns (0:00)

Presented by AHIP.

SPEAKER_2 (0:02)

Health plans work every day to shield Americans from high and rising costs by negotiating lower prices from providers and drug makers and protecting consumers against unexpected medical bills. Learn more at ahip.org.

Gina Hinojosa (0:15)

Our fight right now is one fight, and it's, is Texas going to be a state that is by and for the people, or is this the billionaire's world, and we just live here? Like, that is the fight in America. It is the fight for Texas.

Dasha Burns (0:36)

Hello, hello, and welcome to The Conversation. I'm Dasha Burns. And every week on this show, I talk to some of the most compelling and sometimes unexpected power players in Washington and beyond. And this week, I am here in Austin, Texas, where I sat down with Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat running for governor of this red state. Now, look, a lot of Democrats have tried and failed to turn Texas blue.

But this time, after five terms in the Texas House, Gina Hinojosa is making her case.

Gina Hinojosa (1:05)

There is just this perfect storm of opportunity. And that's what you see in the polling. That's what you hear on the ground. People are tired of Greg Abbott. People are tired of politics as usual.

Dasha Burns (1:15)

If Hinojosa is successful, she would be the first Democrat to win here since 1994 She would also be the first ever Latina governor of Texas and the first female governor since 1995 But first, she's up against incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott and his massive war chest. But in some recent polls, she's actually been leading Abbott. It's the first time that Abbott has ever trailed a Democrat in an election year. Texas is at the center of so many important debates about issues like AI and immigration, so it was a perfect place to kick off our midterm mini-series. We'll be traveling all across the country, so make sure that you're subscribed. And now, here's my conversation with Gina Hinojosa.

Gina Hinojosa, thank you so much for joining The Conversation.

Gina Hinojosa (2:00)

Great to be with you. Thanks for being here.

Dasha Burns (2:02)

All right. You strolled in with this giant cup from Water Burger. What is in there that's fueling you right now?

Gina Hinojosa (2:09)

This is my vice on the campaign drill. Every morning, I do have unsweet iced tea from Water Burger. We started with a medium and now I've moved up to a large.

Dasha Burns (2:20)

This is like how close are we to November, the size of the Water Burger cup tells you that. Listen, we're at your headquarters in Austin, Texas. I'm surprised I'm here. If someone had told me a year ago that, hey, you should go and interview the Democrat running for governor in Texas. I'd probably say, why would I waste my time?

But I am here because this is a real race. That's right. What's going on?

Gina Hinojosa (2:51)

What's going on is we've had 30 years of one party control, 12 years of Greg Abbott, and people are struggling in a big way, and people want change. And I think we're in a time right now where people are disappointed in both parties, both the Republican and the Democratic Party. And they're just looking at the candidate and looking to see, is this candidate going to work for me?

Is this candidate going to try to make my life better or not? We're in a time that feels like it's post-culture wars and where people just want to get back to basics and want a government that is working for them.

Dasha Burns (3:28)

What makes this different than the past try and fail of Democrats? You had Beto O'Rourke in 2022

Polls were showing that it could happen, and then he ended up losing by, what, 11 points. What's different this time?

Gina Hinojosa (3:42)

The environment right now is hard for Texans. Working Texans are struggling in a big way. I will tell you that I keep coming across this story of Texans standing in line at the Plasma Center before it opens to give blood two to three times a week as a second job. Middle class Texans teachers doing this.

Dasha Burns (4:01)

Literally giving blood.

Gina Hinojosa (4:02)

Yes.

That is the level of struggle. It is not a normal level of struggle that we are experiencing in Texas right now. We have the most uninsured, the most uninsured children, the most people being disconnected from their electricity because they can't afford to pay their bills in this state. That is the energy powerhouse of America and beyond. People can't afford to keep their lights on. We have the most bankruptcies of any state, and it's small businesses that are struggling. My background is one where I focused on public schools and I focused on issues related to working families. So my agenda is to secure the American dream. I think we do that by saving Texas schools and putting money in the pocket of Texans. I'm a mom. I still have a kid in public schools, and I come at public school policy from that perspective of a mother. And in that way, in the Texas house, I've connected with Republican moms, MAGA moms who love their kids too, and want what I want for my son's education, a great teacher in the classroom, smaller class size. And so I've built that credibility with them. Strong public schools are essential to the American dream because they provide the opportunity, right? To every Texas child, they say you can be anything you want to be if you put in the work. And so that is part of our agenda to secure the American dream. And because I'm a mother with a child in public school, I have particular credibility on it. I'm also a labor lawyer. I started my practice representing labor unions and employees.