Abbott: Hinojosa ‘makes Talarico look almost conservative’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) blasted his Democratic opponent, Gina Hinojosa, ahead of Election Day, calling her “the number one most radical leftist” in the state House — a final pitch to undecided voters before polls close.

“My opponent is actually the farthest left candidate on the entire ticket. She makes Talarico look almost conservative,” Abbott told Fox News on Monday. “Imagine your worst nightmare about what could happen to the state of Texas, and that is exactly what Gina Hinojosa could deliver.”

Abbott compared Hinojosa to the Lone Star State’s Democratic nominee for Senate, state Rep. James Talarico, whom Republicans have tried to paint as too far left for Texas given some of his past comments.

The attacks from Abbott are not new, as he has frequently accused Hinojosa of being too radical, specifically attempting to tie her to Sharia law — a Muslim religious framework governing some theocracies in the Middle East.

The accusations stem from a bill Hinojosa voted against in the state Legislature that sought to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has said she does not support Sharia law.

Accusing their opponents of supporting Sharia law has become a prominent tactic of some Republican campaigns this cycle, especially in Texas and Michigan, which have increasingly large Arab American populations. The attacks also come as polls show Abbott in a surprisingly close race against Hinojosa.

A New York Times/Siena University poll released over the weekend showed Hinojosa leading Abbott by 2 points, though the three-term Texas governor still leads in most other projections. The margin of the incumbent governor’s lead was much wider earlier in the election cycle.

Abbott pleaded with Republican voters to show up at the polls Tuesday and deliver him a win.

“We are working so hard to make sure that all Republicans go cast a vote … on Election Day,” Abbott said.

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, gives Abbott a 69 percent chance of holding on to his seat for a fourth term. Should he win, the Republican would become the longest-serving governor in the Lone Star State’s history.

Most polls close in Texas at 8 p.m. EST. The state tends to count its ballots quickly; in the 2024 elections, it had already reported more than half of its vote by 8:30 p.m., according to nonpartisan election news site Votebeat.