California Latinas and Latino Men Are 17 Points Apart on What Matters Most
A UCLA and Berkeley poll found Latinas and Latino men in California 17 points apart on what they want from a governor.
On election night, voters in the two states with the biggest Latino populations picked governors who will go down in the history books, and a Tejano singer took back a South Texas congressional seat!
Who Made History on November 3, 2026?
Gina Hinojosa, Texas. The Democrat defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who conceded, according to KSAT. She becomes Texas's first Latina governor and, per KSAT, the first governor from the Rio Grande Valley. KSAT also reports she is the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since Ann Richards in 1990. Hinojosa is an Austin state lawmaker and former school board president, the Texas Tribune reports. ABC News described the win as projected at the time of publication.
Xavier Becerra, California. The Democrat beat Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born former Fox News host. KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle call Becerra the first Latino elected governor of California. He represented Los Angeles in Congress, served as state attorney general and was health secretary under President Joe Biden. The New York Times reports he started the race with polling so weak that his own party chairman urged him to drop out. He will succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who could not run again because of term limits.
A note on being the 'first Latino governor - Becerra is the first Latino elected governor of California by the people, not the first Latino to hold the job. Romualdo Pacheco became governor in 1875 without being elected to it, as the Latin Times reported before the vote.
Who Else Won?
Bobby Pulido, Texas's 15th District. The Tejano musician declared victory over Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the Rio Grande Valley, the Texas Tribune reports, and later reports from The Hill and the Associated Press say he won. Pulido calls himself a "conservative Democrat," which is a useful reminder that Latino Democrats are not one political type. Latinos are not a monolith either.
The Counts Are Still Coming In
Counties will finalize counts in the coming weeks. Second, other Latino and Latina Democrats ran for historic firsts, including Denise Powell in Nebraska's 2nd District, Teresa Benitez-Thompson in Nevada's 2nd District, Amanda Gonzalez for Colorado secretary of state and JoCasta Zamarripa for Wisconsin secretary of state, per the Latin Times on Oct. 29.
