With less than a month and a half left until Election Day in Texas, the Democratic candidate for governor is again showing strong support in recent polls.
A new NPR/Marist poll shows Gina Hinojosa winning the Texas Governor’s race at 49-46%, showing back-to-back polls of her beating Greg Abbott
. Hinojosa has made sweeping gains across the board, especially among Independents and non-White voters, and has gained among former Abbott voters."Texans are ready for change, and in November, we are going to prove it," Hinojosa said. "We are building a movement for all the Texans who are tired of being sold out to Greg Abbott’s billionaires and just want to build a better life for themselves and for their families. I’ve said this since we launched in October,
but it’s worth repeating, don’t let them tell you it can’t happen in Texas, because it already is."
This is the eleventh poll showing Hinojosa within the margin of error, following a ReconMR/Siena poll that had her leading by 4 points and surging with key demographics she needs to win in November.
According tohistorical election data tracked by RealClear Polling, polling in Texas gubernatorial elections since Abbott took office has been highly reliable in predicting the ultimate winner, though the final margins have varied slightly. Polling aggregators show that while surveys slightly over-projected Abbott’s margin of victory in 2018, they were remarkably precise in 2022, missing the final outcome by less than one percentage point.
Polling in 2022 was exceptionally accurate. The final RealClearPolling tracking database placed Abbott ahead by 10.4 points just days before the election, which closely mirrored his actual 10.9-point victory.
In September, Abbott launched a massive $12 million statewide ad buy targeting Hinojosa's voting record, claiming she voted 40 times in the state legislature to increase property taxes. Previously in August, he launched a $10 million statewide TV ad buy titled "What's at Stake," promoting his platform on border security, property tax reforms, and conservative values.
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NPR poll makes Texas governor race toss-up with less than 2 months
