The following is the transcript of the interview with Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa, which aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on October 25, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We now turn to the race for Texas governor and Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa. She joins us from Austin. It’s good to have you here.
TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE GINA HINOJOSA: It’s great to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So if you win, you would be the first Democratic governor and the first female governor in over 30 years. However, you are running in a state that has more Republicans than Democrats. So, what is your message to encourage Republicans to vote for you?
HINOJOSA: Well, right now, no one wants politics as usual. Most of us see that it’s broken, and what we’re seeing in Texas is that out of deep disappointment on the part of both political parties, people are forging a new path forward. A project that is post-partisan in some ways. Data centers are a physical manifestation of a governor, Governor Abbott, and a government that works for financial interests and leaves the people of Texas to fend for themselves. Public schools are another issue where bipartisanship has come together to support our public schools. And so, look, this creates an opportunity for Texans to evaluate the candidate. I believe that’s why we now have six or seven polls in the last six weeks that show us winning. All polls show us a margin of error. Participation is high. The enthusiasm is high on our side, so we feel really good about where we are.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned schools. I was surprised to find that 181 school districts in Texas only operate four days a week. Some schools have closed their doors. How much of that is just moving to more populated areas outside of rural areas, and how much of that is funding?
HINOJOSA: A lot of this is funding. Greg Abbott denied the funding our schools needed in 2023 because we didn’t pass on the vouchers. He said he would turn it down if we didn’t adopt it, and we did. We fought it. James Talarico and I led this fight to end school vouchers. He succeeded last year. It cost our neighborhood’s public schools a billion dollars to invest in irresponsible private schools. And so, school districts are really struggling. Our schools are closing. The teachers left. And you should know that public schools are part of our identity as Texans. They are enshrined in our Texas Constitution because, being essential to our freedoms, they are the largest employer in most or many of our counties. It’s Friday Night Lights, and so there is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools. And look, I’m running my broad programs to achieve the American dream, and public schools are essential – they’re an essential part of the American dream because they provide the gateway and the opportunity to the American dream. So saving Texas public schools is a key part of my agenda, and that’s why this campaign resonated with Texans.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You campaigned on the issue of Texas having the highest uninsured rate and the highest number of uninsured children in this country. If you win, you will still have a Republican-controlled legislature. You’ll probably have a Republican lieutenant governor. How do you work with them to improve health care?
HINOJOSA: Well, I’ll tell you that my platform is not a Democratic platform, it’s a grassroots, populist platform, a platform that meets the expectations of the people of Texas. So my policy, my platform and my plan on health care is to ensure that every child in Texas has quality health care, because we have the most uninsured children of any state in America. We are one of the few states that has not expanded Medicaid. Medicaid expansion is one way to do this. Democrats in the past have come out in favor of Medicaid expansion, I haven’t, because most people don’t understand what that means. They know what it means to provide quality health care to our children. So that’s what I’m running on. I think there is bipartisan support to make this happen. There’s also a big problem in Texas with those of us who have insurance paying more, and it’s harder to see the doctors we need, get and get the medications we need. Banning these bad faith denials is therefore also a key part of my program.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you want to expand Medicaid, just to be clear?
HINOJOSA: Yes, but we are not working on that. It’s just the process. It’s a slightly geeky way of talking about insuring people. We’re talking about ensuring that every child in Texas has quality health care, and that’s part of my Secure the American Dream agenda. This can be found on my website at GinaforTexas.com.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so Governor Abbott gave the hyperscale data centers, which you mentioned, a tax break for 20 years, and wanted to make your state the epicenter, he said, of AI development. You are calling for an immediate moratorium on data center construction until the state legislature puts protections in place. Do you want to remove these tax breaks? For example, what exactly are the protections that you think you can get from your Republicans that you’re dealing with?
HINOJOSA: You know, what’s interesting is that no one opposes data centers more harshly than MAGA, because these data centers are mostly moving into our rural communities that are unincorporated. There are no zoning regulations, there are no rules or laws, and so this-these-this part of Texas is being exploited by these data centers, and the people of Texas and rural areas of Texas are being exploited by them. So there is also pressure on Republicans to put in place laws to stop this takeover of data centers. Yes, I would repeal these tax breaks and, more importantly, I would give Texans a seat at the table to decide if and how these data centers would come into their community. There are big issues around water, around electricity costs, around property rights, and so we need to go through everything and make sure that Texans are protected, and first and foremost have a seat at the table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re talking about eliminating tax breaks. Elon Musk is a major investor whose businesses are located in Texas. He gave about half a million dollars to Governor Abbott’s campaign. You filed a complaint, I understand, to try to obtain emails between him and… and Governor Abbott. What are you trying to do with this? And isn’t it dangerous, frankly, to go after someone who employs so many Texans?
HINOJOSA: Well, look, we can’t be afraid to do what’s right as leaders in Texas, and so the right thing is to see what these emails are about. We have had some breaking news in recent months. Just recently we learned that Greg Abbott’s Parks and Wildlife Board is considering selling our beach, Boca Chica Beach, to Elon Musk, who plans to launch 356 rockets from these sites. I’m from this area of Texas, every time these rockets are launched it’s like an earthquake happens. So we need to know what exactly is happening. We know that Elon Musk received $1.7 billion in tax breaks after donating to Greg Abbott’s campaign. We know that over the summer, Greg Abbott stepped in to redirect a $100 million broadband deal to Elon Musk. It was testimony during a Senate hearing…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
HINOJOSA: –by the director of the broadband office. So there’s a lot that we need to see, and as a legislator, I have the responsibility and the right to see what these emails are about.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll see what you get. We will monitor your campaign. Thank you for your time today. We’ll come back in a moment.
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