Hinojosa Makes History

Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa defeated Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, becoming Texas’ first Latina governor and ending Republican control of the office that began in 1995. She led 57% to 42% when Abbott conceded.

Abbott called Hinojosa to concede, then told supporters in Austin, “There are still votes to be counted, but mathematically, we’re not going to be able to win this election.” He pledged to help her team with the transition.

“Everything is bigger in Texas, including the shock of this win,” Hinojosa told a cheering crowd in Austin. The Rio Grande Valley native added that no one imagined “a little girl from the RGV would stand before you here as the next governor.”

“It never bothered me that they doubted me, it bothered me that they doubted us,” Hinojosa said in her speech. She is the first Democrat elected governor since Ann Richards in 1990.

Talarico Flips U.S. Senate Seat

Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton on Tuesday, becoming the first Democrat Texans have elected to the U.S. Senate since 1988. With about two-thirds of the vote counted, he led roughly 59% to 39%.

Paxton conceded in a short speech Tuesday night. “Well, let me start off by congratulating James Talarico,” he said, adding that he “will be praying for him that he will do good for Texas and this nation.”

Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the GOP nomination to Paxton in May, will hand his seat to Talarico on Jan. 3. “The voters have spoken,” Cornyn wrote on X, offering to help with the transition.

Talarico, a 37-year-old Austin state representative, will be the Senate’s youngest member. He will be the first Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate since Robert Krueger, who was appointed in 1993 to fill Lloyd Bentsen’s vacancy. 

Democrats Lead Down-Ballot Races

Democrats also led all six of Texas’ other statewide executive races on Tuesday, according to returns available at our deadline. Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin led Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick 51.9% to 45.6%, as Patrick sought a fourth term.

In the open race to succeed Ken Paxton as attorney general, Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson led Republican state Sen. Mayes Middleton 52% to 46%. For comptroller, Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt led acting Comptroller Don Huffines 51% to 46%.

Democrat Benjamin Flores led incumbent Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham 51.5% to 47%. For agriculture commissioner, Democrat Clayton Tucker led Republican Nate Sheets 51.4% to 46.8%. Sheets had ousted longtime Commissioner Sid Miller in the March primary.

In the Railroad Commission race, Democrat Jon Rosenthal led Republican Bo French 52.6% to 45.6%. 

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➤ Dallas: Federal law enforcement is joining Dallas police in Operation Deep Cover, putting more uniformed and plainclothes officers in the entertainment district after three Halloween-weekend shootings left four people dead and 15 injured. (More)

➤ Jasper: Officers arrested eight people on federal charges Tuesday across Jasper and Tyler counties, Lufkin, and the Galveston area after a four-year investigation into a 2022 Jasper pawn shop burglary where thieves stole multiple firearms. (More)

➤ Houston: A woman believed to be in her 50s or 60s died Tuesday morning when Día de los Muertos decorations apparently caught fire, a police sergeant said. Fire officials are still investigating. (More)

➤ Travis County: The county lifted its burn ban for unincorporated areas Tuesday, with the fire marshal citing improved moisture levels. Outdoor burning of trash, debris, and brush is allowed again, though officials urge caution. (Check Rules)

➤ Dallas ISD trustees vote Thursday on closing six campuses, including Harrell Budd Elementary and Boude Storey Middle, starting in 2027-28. The district lost 3,099 students last year, pushing its projected budget gap to $128 million. (See Closures)

➤ Montgomery County: A state Rapid DNA pilot tied a felony-theft suspect to a 2024 case eight days after going live. The $5 million program lets jail staff process DNA on site instead of waiting about 25 days for lab results. (More)

➤ Houston: Fire investigators ruled the Oct. 27 blaze that shut part of Terminal C North at Bush Intercontinental Airport an accident, tracing it to the exhaust system above the kitchen at Ember restaurant. All gates have since reopened. (More)

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➤ Three Texas schools cracked the College Football Playoff committee’s first rankings Tuesday. Texas landed at No. 7, which would mean hosting Ole Miss in the first round, while Texas Tech (No. 15) and Houston (No. 17) sit outside the 12-team field. Miami was No. 1. (More)

➤ East Texas A&M upset Oklahoma 68-64 in Norman on Monday for the Commerce school’s first win over a power-conference opponent. The 28.5-point underdogs got 22 points from Bo Aldridge, who iced it at the line with 3 seconds left. (See Upset)

➤ Hitchcock native Taurian Fontenette, the streetball legend known as “Air Up There,” died Monday at 43, his sister said. The former AND1 Mixtape Tour star landed the first documented in-game 720-degree dunk in 2006 at Houston’s Toyota Center. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NHL | NCAAF | NCAAM | NCAAW | Tennis | Soccer | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ Take the Daily History Quiz. Most of us learned history once, at seventeen, from someone who was also bored. It holds up better the second time. Five minutes of history, every morning, across every era. Learn More

➤ Texas Roadhouse closed its original restaurant at Green Tree Mall in Clarksville, Indiana, where founder Kent Taylor opened the chain’s first location in 1993. A bigger 10,000-square-foot replacement opens nearby Thursday. (See Farewell)

➤ Bell Textron’s Amarillo plant will handle nearly 29% of a $114.7 million Navy contract expansion to upgrade Marine Corps AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters. The work covers electrical power and structural improvements and runs through June 2028. (More)

➤ Panhandle cattle producers secured a $24.6 million USDA-backed loan to build their own beef processing plant in Dimmitt, Vice President JD Vance announced. The 36 investors expect to process about 400 head a day and hire 220 workers. (More)

➤ Central Texas College won a $300,000 grant to train incarcerated women for information technology jobs. The Killeen school runs one of only two Texas prison education programs selected, and graduates will leave with industry certifications. (More)

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The Missing Nutrient Behind Thin Hair

After 50, many women run low on one mineral that helps keep DHT, a hair-thinning hormone, in check.

Biotin won’t fix that. Neither will another bottle of thickening shampoo.

A menopause specialist and an Austin hairstylist found that pairing this mineral with one B vitamin, plus three other targeted nutrients, may help support fuller, stronger-looking hair from the inside out. No serums, no foams. Just two capsules with your morning coffee.

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➤ Costumed window washers worked outside patients’ windows at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi on Tuesday afternoon, while city firefighters visited the kids inside. (See Photos)

➤ El Paso’s county courthouse will glow green Nov. 4 through Veterans Day for Operation Green Light, a nationwide county effort to support veterans. Last year, 412 counties in 44 states took part. (More)

➤ ExxonMobil’s Beaumont site is giving $210,000 to the local United Way to fund programs at 18 partner agencies. The company and its employees gave $515,000 last campaign year, more than half of everything the chapter raised. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ The warnings about drinking coffee on an empty stomach just ran into some inconvenient science. (Hear Story)

➤ Bomb threats forced diversions and searches on at least four European flights, part of an escalating wave of aviation scares. (Listen Now)

➤ The White House plans to end nearly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel, upending decades of U.S. policy. (Hear Details)

How often do you eat at Texas Roadhouse?

1. I’m a regular
2. Few times a year
3. Rarely
4. Never been

Yesterday’s Results:

Would you let a robot mow your lawn?

1. I’d try it: 51%
2. Rather do it myself: 22%
3. I pay a human: 20%
4. I’m lawnless: 6%
5. Already do: 1%

What Texas businessman built a lumber mill in Orange that would become one of the largest in the nation?

Show me the answer