For three decades, Republicans won every statewide race in Texas. On Nov. 3, Democrats won all of them.
A blue tsunami.
In addition to every statewide office on the ballot, Democrats flipped 21 Republican-held seats in the Texas House, giving them 83 of 150 seats and their first majority in the chamber since 2003. Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin will take office in January, and state Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Houston says she has the votes to become the first woman and first Black speaker of the Texas House. Democrat Maggie Ellis unseated Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock to lead the Texas Supreme Court, making more history along the way: She’s the first LGBTQ+ person elected statewide and first woman chief justice in the state.
But Republicans still hold 19 of 31 seats in the Texas Senate. That means Democrats can change a lot through the governor’s office and state agencies, while most new laws will need at least some Republican support. Both Hinojosa and Goodwin have brought Republicans onto their transition teams and promised to govern across party lines.
Lawmakers got their first chance to put their priorities on paper Nov. 9, when bill filing opened for the 90th Legislature. More than 1,200 bills were filed that day, many of them reflecting what Democrats heard from voters on the campaign trail.
What Democrats want
Money back for Texans | Hinojosa’s signature promise was a one-time $1,500 check to every Texas household from the state’s roughly $27 billion Rainy Day Fund, keeping about $10 billion in reserve. A bill to do that was filed Nov. 10. Democrats also filed bills to raise the minimum wage to $15 or $17 an hour.
Data centers | Hinojosa promised to issue a moratorium on data center approvals until lawmakers pass protections, and wants data centers to pay sales taxes on the electricity they use, arguing the current exemption costs Texas more than $1 billion a year. Lawmakers from both parties have already filed three separate bills to repeal that exemption. It may be her easiest sell: She has argued rural MAGA voters are pushing back hardest.
Health care | Among the first bills filed was a proposal to expand Medicaid, which would bring in up to $10 billion a year in federal money and cover about 1 million more Texans. Hinojosa has also promised to strengthen rural hospitals, and Goodwin has proposed a state health insurance plan funded through the Rainy Day Fund.
Public education | Democrats filed bills to repeal the school voucher program, and Hinojosa says she’d sign one. She can act faster on state school takeovers: her team is already interviewing candidates to replace Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, who she’s said repeatedly she would fire on day one. Goodwin also wants to reevaluate the state takeover of Houston ISD.
Flock cameras | Hinojosa attacked Gov. Greg Abbott over the spread of more than 10,000 Flock license plate reader cameras and a $26 million state contract with the company. Democrats have filed bills to ban the cameras, and lawmakers have also proposed barring a state agency from funding them. Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst has said she supports an outright ban.
Public land | Hinojosa campaigned against the potential sale of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX. Since winning, she has asked the executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife that “no action be taken” on the sale during her transition. As governor, she’ll appoint members of the commission that would decide as their terms expire.
Immigration | Democrats filed a bill to repeal a 2025 law requiring sheriffs to partner with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hinojosa has criticized Abbott for spending billions prosecuting migrants for trespassing but hasn’t promised to cut border security funding. “I will spend the money it takes to keep our community safe, not for political theater,” she told KPRC.
Abortion | Goodwin wants to repeal the state’s abortion ban. Hinojosa has championed a commitment to restoring reproductive freedom in the state.
The hurdles
The biggest obstacle is the Texas Senate. The lieutenant governor traditionally appoints committee chairs, refers bills, and decides what reaches the floor, but much of that power comes from rules the Senate adopts at the start of each session, and a simple majority of senators can change them. Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said he supports Republican senators using that vote to strip powers from Goodwin. Republicans also hold the 18 votes needed to bring bills to the floor without Democrats.
That math shapes what’s realistic. Hinojosa has acknowledged that repealing the voucher program may not make it through the Senate. “I don’t see that as a reality, frankly,” she told KPRC. Repealing the abortion ban likely lacks the votes too, though a health policy expert told the Houston Chronicle a bill adding exceptions for rape and incest could win some Republican support. Medicaid expansion and the $1,500 checks would also need Republican votes.
The likeliest wins are on issues where Republicans have already moved: data center tax breaks, limits on Flock cameras, and property tax relief. The governor also has leverage of her own. Hinojosa will set emergency items, appoint most state board and commission members, and hold a line-item veto over the budget, and the Legislature hasn’t overridden a governor’s veto lu.
Thompson has said passing an agenda will take “all of us working together, the expertise of Republicans and the expertise of Democrats, working as a unit.” Hinojosa has made a similar pledge. “We will have a bipartisan transition, and we will have a bipartisan administration and government in Texas,” she said at her first news conference as governor-elect.
Bill filing continues through March 12. The Legislature convenes and the House elects its speaker on Jan. 12, and Hinojosa and Goodwin take office Jan. 19.
