/ CBS News
The following is the transcript of the interview with Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Oct. 25, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the Texas governor's race and Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa. She joins us from Austin. 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. You're running in a state, though, that has more Republicans than Democrats. So, what is your message to get Republicans to cross over and vote for you?
HINOJOSA: Well, right now, nobody wants politics as usual. Most of us see that it is broken, and so what we are seeing in Texas is because there is deep disappointment in both political parties, people are forging a new way for- forward. One that is postpartisan in some ways. The data centers are a physical manifestation of a governor, Governor Abbott, and a government that's working for the moneyed interests and leaving the people of Texas to fend for themselves. Public schools are another issue where there has been a bipartisan coming together in support of our public schools. And so, listen, this creates an opportunity for Texans to evaluate the candidate. I believe that's why we have now six or seven polls out of the last six weeks that show us winning. All polls show us within the margin of error. Turnout is high. Enthusiasm is high on our side, so we feel really good about where we are.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You mentioned schools. I was surprised to see that 181 school districts in Texas are operating just four days a week. Some schools have shut down. How much of this is people just moving to more populated areas out of the rural ones, and how much of it is funding?
HINOJOSA: A lot of it is funding. Greg Abbott in 2023 withheld funding our schools needed because we didn't pass vouchers. He said he would withhold it if we didn't pass it, and we did it. We fought it. Myself- myself and James Talarico led that fight to stop school vouchers. He passed it last year. That took a billion dollars from our neighborhood public schools to take and put into unaccountable private schools. And so, school districts are really struggling. Our schools are shutting down. Teachers have left. And you should know that public schools are part of our identity as Texans. They are enshrined in our Texas Constitution, as being essential to our liberties, they are the largest employer in most or many of our counties. They are Friday Night Lights, and so there is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools. And listen, I'm running my broad agendas to secure the American Dream, and public schools are essential- are 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 has resonated amongst Texans.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You've been campaigning on the issue of Texas having the highest uninsured rate and the highest number of uninsured children in this country. If you win, you're still going to have a Republican-controlled legislature. You're likely to have a Republican lieutenant governor. How do you work with them to improve health care?
HINOJOSA: Well, I'll tell you that my agenda is not a Democratic agenda, it is a popular, populist agenda, one that delivers for the people of Texas. So my healthcare policy and platform and plan is to ensure every Texas child has quality healthcare because we have the most uninsured children of any state in America. We're one of the few states that hasn't expanded Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid is one way to get there. Democrats of the past have run on expanding Medicaid, I am not because most people don't understand what that means. They know what it means to provide quality healthcare to our children. So that is what I am running on. I think there is bipartisan support to get there. 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, getting- and getting the medication we need. So banning those bad faith denials is a key part of my agenda as well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But you do want to expand Medicaid, just to be clear?
HINOJOSA: Yes, but we're not running on that. That is just the process. It's kind of a geeky way to talk about insuring people. We're talking about ensuring every Texas child has quality healthcare, and that's part of my Secure the American Dream agenda. That can be found on my website at GinaforTexas.com.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, so Governor Abbott gave hyperscale data centers, which you mentioned, a 20-year tax break, and wanted to make your state the epicenter, he said, of AI development. You are calling for a moratorium, an immediate one, on building any data centers until the state legislature puts in place protections. Do you want to repeal those tax breaks? Like, what exactly are the protections you think you can get your Republicans that you will deal with on board with?
HINOJOSA: You know what's interesting is nobody's pushing back against the data centers harder 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 taken advantage of by these data centers, and the people of Texas and rural Texas are being taken advantage of. So, there's pressure on Republicans as well to put in place some laws to stop this data center takeover. Yes, I would repeal those tax breaks, and most importantly, I would give Texans a seat at the table to decide if and how these data centers come into their community. There are big water concerns, there are big electricity cost concerns, property rights concerns, and so we need to visit all of it and make sure Texans are protected, and first and foremost have a seat at the table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You talk about repealing tax breaks. Someone who's a big investor whose companies are in Texas is Elon Musk. He's given about half a million dollars to Governor Abbott's campaign. You've filed a lawsuit, as I understand it, to try to obtain emails between him and- and Governor Abbott. What are you trying to do with this? And- and isn't it dangerous, frankly, to go after someone who employs so many Texans?
HINOJOSA: Well, listen, we can't be afraid to do what's right as leaders in Texas, and so the right thing is to see what are these emails about. We have had breaking news in the last few months. Just most recently, we learned that Greg Abbott's Parks and Wildlife Board plans to sell our beach, Boca Chica Beach, to Elon Musk, who has plans to launch 356 rockets from these sites. I'm from this part of Texas, every time these rockets launch, it feels like an earthquake happening. So we need to know what is- exactly is going on. We know Elon Musk received $1.7 billion in tax breaks after he donated to Greg Abbott's campaign. We know that over this summer, Greg Abbott intervened to redirect a $100 million broadband contract to Elon Musk. This was from 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 a responsibility and a right to see what those emails are about.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll see what you get. We'll watch your campaign. Thank you for your time today. We'll be back in a moment.