As Texas Dems predict a Hispanic wave, Hinojosa takes her pitch ringside

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa is targeting Hispanic men as a key voting bloc ahead of the November election. In a bid to connect with this demographic, her campaign is airing a 30-second ad during Mexican boxing star Canelo Álvarez's fight on Saturday. The spot, titled "No Te Dejes" (Don't let yourself be pushed around), highlights Hinojosa's proposals to protect public schools, limit data center expansion, and reduce taxes, contrasting them with what she perceives as three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott's focus on wealthy donors and large corporations.

Hinojosa's strategy mirrors a successful approach used by Democrat Ruben Gallego in Arizona's 2024 Senate race, where he engaged Latino men through sports events and community gatherings. Gallego's victory in Arizona, despite Trump carrying the state by nearly six percentage points, demonstrates the potential impact of a targeted approach to Hispanic voters.

While Hinojosa's ad aims to resonate with Hispanic men, her campaign faces a significant challenge. Recent polling indicates that Texas' Latino population has become less reliably Democratic, with 55% of Latino Texans voting for Trump in 2024. Among Hispanic men, support for the president was nearly two-to-one. These shifts have forced Democrats to reassess their strategy and engage Hispanic voters through culturally relevant programming, rather than relying solely on traditional political advertising.

Hinojosa acknowledges Trump's appeal among Hispanic voters, attributing it to his message of a rigged system. She emphasizes the need for change, stating that Democrats have been defending a system that is indefensible and working against them. The Democrats hope that the shift in Latino voter support will be temporary, buoyed by high turnout in heavily Latino areas during this year's Democratic primary.