Gina Hinojosa joins Talarico in DFW for ‘The People vs. Ken Paxton Tour’
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa joined James Talarico on the campaign trail Monday evening in Plano for the only time on his “The People vs. Ken Paxton Tour.”
The event touted over 4,000 attendees — the most yet at any of Talarico’s rallies.
During her 15 minutes with the microphone, Hinojosa drove home two points: Governor Greg Abbott is corrupt and public schools are overdue for proper government support.
Hinojosa was elected to the Texas House in 2016 to represent part of Travis County, though she never meant to run for anything. She was a mom who was angry about her son’s school being shut down.
“I was compelled to run for the school board to save our neighborhood schools. I ran, I won. We saved our schools in that fight for our public schools,” Hinojosa told the cheering Plano crowd. “That took me to the House, where I’ve been fighting Greg Abbott’s corrupt agenda for our schools and for our state ever since.”
Hinojosa will be on the Nov. 3 ballot against Abbott, the 10-year Republican incumbent. She’s running because the promise of Texas she was raised knowing is not the reality Texans are living today.
In the Rio Grande Valley, Hinojosa said she was raised with a love of country that was based not just on greatness but on goodness and righteousness. She grew up hearing from her father about the American Dream, but doesn’t see it as achievable today.
“I fight for public schools, because there can be no American dream without strong public schools,” Hinojosa said. “Our public schools tell every Texas child you can be anything you want to be if you put in the work.”
Public schools and the American Dream are on life support under Abbott, Hinojosa said.
Mimicking Talarico’s claim that his opponent, Paxton, is the most corrupt politician in America, Hinojosa dubbed Abbott the most corrupt governor in Texas’s history.
She pointed to Texas leading the nation in bankruptcies, utility shutoffs and people without health insurance. She also highlighted that more than 200 school districts don’t have the funds to have school five days a week and that Corpus Christi could be the first major American city to run out of water.
“That is Greg Abbott’s record,” Hinojosa said. “He owns it. The reason why we pay more and we get less is because we are all paying the Greg Abbott corruption tax, and I have receipts. In fact, I have billions in receipts.”
The Greg Abbott corruption tax, as she calls it, is how the middle class ends up with more financial burdens while Abbott gives tax breaks to the wealthy.
“Nobody here is asking for handouts,” Hinojosa said. “We are asking for what we have already worked for. We are asking for what we have already paid for.”
The answer is to take the power back and elect her as governor, Hinojosa said.