Hinojosa's campaign held a rally in San Antonio on Aug. 11, where workers put up signs ahead of the event. She's now the Democratic nominee facing Abbott in a race most political watchers assumed would be a formality for the incumbent Republican.
"I needed to try," Hinojosa said of her decision to run.
Polls tracking the race show something political analysts didn't expect. The contest between Hinojosa and Abbott is surprisingly tight, a sign that a longtime governor who has faced little serious opposition in recent cycles might have a real fight on his hands this time.
Texas Democrats have struggled for years to field competitive statewide candidates. Early polling suggests voters are taking a second look at a matchup many wrote off before it started.
Abbott has built a reputation as a dominant force in Texas politics. A tight poll number against him, even months out from any final vote, raises a question nobody in the state expected to be asking this cycle: is Texas actually in play.