Gov. Greg Abbott enters the final stretch with a big financial edge over Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. As of Sept. 24, Abbott had $18.2 million cash on hand after raising $48.6 million this year, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Hinojosa had $4 million on hand after raising $20.4 million. Libertarian Pat Dixon reported $2,369 on hand.
Abbott, first elected in 2014 and seeking a fourth term, is endorsed by President Trump, the National Border Patrol Council and several police and EMS associations. Hinojosa, in her fifth House term and a former Austin ISD board president, is backed by Senate nominee James Talarico, the Texas AFL-CIO and the Texas American Federation of Teachers.
On property taxes, Abbott proposes abolishing school property taxes for homeowners, requiring two-thirds voter approval for tax increases and lowering the appraisal cap from 10% to 3%. On schools, he backs the private school choice program, for which the Legislature dedicated $1 billion over two years, and proposes banning H-1B visa workers in public schools, limiting classroom screen time and 10-year prison sentences for teachers who have inappropriate relationships with students. He also paused new data center grid connections pending an audit and supports Operation Lone Star and stricter bail laws.
Hinojosa opposes vouchers and wants to end standardized testing and state takeovers of schools, replace Education Commissioner Mike Morath with an educator, and raise teacher pay. She proposes a one-time $1,500 payment to every Texan from the state’s savings, supports a moratorium on new data centers, opposes Flock surveillance cameras, and would let voters decide THC regulation.
Dixon, a Lago Vista business owner and former Libertarian Party of Texas chair, opposes tax incentives, would lower the sales tax and supports a statewide scholarship giving every child equal funds for any school.
Why it matters. For conservative voters, the contrast is sharp: school choice versus no school choice, property-tax elimination versus a one-time rebate, and a border strategy built on state enforcement versus one that leans on Washington. Whatever you think of the candidates, the policy gap is real.
The other side. Hinojosa argues Abbott’s donor list, including several $1 million-plus contributors, shows who his policies serve; Abbott’s campaign argues Hinojosa’s $1,500 payment would drain the rainy-day fund Texas needs for emergencies.
Open questions. How Abbott would replace roughly half of school funding if homeowner school taxes were abolished, and how Hinojosa’s one-time payment would be financed.
