Tag Archives: Governor

Xavier Becerra Becomes First Latino Elected Governor of California in Modern Times

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Xavier Becerra is celebrating a historic victory.

The 68-year-old Mexican American politician and attorney, a Democrat who ran on his decades of experience in public office, will take over from California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the next governor of the nation’s most populous state.

Xavier Becerra Born in Sacramento to a mother from Mexico and a father who was born in California and raised in Mexico, Becerra will be California’s first Latino governor since the late 19th century.

He made appealing to Latino voters a key part of his campaign strategy, including by releasing ads and social media posts in Spanish.

“I’m running to be what the haters fear most: a proud son of immigrants with a law degree and a union card governing America’s most diverse and successful state,” Becerra said at a recent rally.

The victory by Becerra, a former state attorney general and Biden administration official, ensures California and the White House will remain adversaries for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Becerra repeatedly tied his opponent, Republican Steve Hilton, to the president and promised to defend California against Trump’s policies on everything from immigration to voting rights.

“If anyone wants to come after California or any one Californian, they better be ready for a fight,” Becerra said Tuesday night in front of a crowd near Sacramento.

Becerra argued he was best positioned for the job after serving more than 35 years in state and federal office, including as a congressman and health secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and adviser to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, has never held elected office.

Becerra sustained Democrats’ 16-year winning streak in statewide California elections, which Hilton tried to break by arguing one-party rule was to blame for the state’s high cost of living and homelessness crisis.

He argued Becerra would prolong his party’s failure to adequately address homelessness.

“This is what you get with one-party rule,” Hilton said at a news conference before Election Day. “You get a bunch of people in charge who think that they can get away with anything.”

He said after losing to Becerra that “the change we hoped for may be delayed, but the change is coming.”

Gina Hinojosa Pulls Off Massive Upset to Become Texas’ First Latina Governor

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Gina Hinojosa has pulled off a historic upset…

In one of the most stunning defeats of election night, the 52-year-old Mexican American Democratic politician and lawyer defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas, making her the first Latina to lead the state and the first Democratic governor since 1990.

Gina HinojosaHinojosa, a five-term Austin lawmaker, was considered a longshot candidate against Abbott, a three-term incumbent who has never won reelection by fewer than 11 points.

Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes elections, rated the race as “lean Republican” as of October 1.

“Tonight, I make a solemn promise to every single Texan. Whether you voted for me or Governor Abbott, or felt so betrayed by a broken politics that you did not vote at all,” Hinojosa said in a post on X. “Hear what Texas said today, loud and clear: Your government belongs to you. And as your governor, I will never forget it. There will be no special set of rules for the wealthy and powerful. No looking the other way when someone in my own party does wrong. The trust you have placed in me tonight is not a blank check. It is a sacred responsibility. And I intend to earn it every single day.”

Hinojosa, who was born in McAllen, Texas, a city near the U.S.-Mexico border and raised in Brownsville, a city at the southernmost tip of the state, is part of an influential Democratic family. Her father, Gilberto Hinojosa, served as chair of the state’s Democratic Party from 2012 to 2025.

At 10:17 p.m., the Associated Press called the race in Hinojosa’s favor. With about 5,200 of 5,300 polling places reporting results at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, she led with nearly 53% of the vote, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

Hinojosa’s victory gives Democrats control of the governor’s office for the first time since Ann Richards left office in 1995.

Overall, Democrats had huge wins in the Lone Star State, a Republican stronghold that hadn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in roughy 30 years.

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, flipping the state’s U.S. Senate seat.

For years, the Democratic Party hoped the state would go into play as it became more diverse.

Hinojosa will take office in January. Her next challenge will be turning a historic electoral victory into a governing agenda — and determining how much of the change she promised voters can make it through the Texas Capitol.