Gov. Greg Abbott, Gina Hinojosa on economy in Texas governor's race – El Paso Times

As Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa spar over the future of the Texas economy, the question is how economic anxiety is shaping the Texas governor’s race.
Abbot has been on the campaign trail, boasting that Texas is open for business in a variety of sectors. On Thursday, April 9, he participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute aimed at bolstering semiconductor manufacturing.
“Texas and America must be microchip independent,” Abbott said. “We must ensure we lead the way forward. This groundbreaking is a giant step toward achieving that independence. Texas A&M is accelerating in innovation, and cementing Texas’ position as the global leader for semiconductors.”
Abbott signed the Texas CHIPS Act into law in 2023 to further strengthen Texas’ investments in the semiconductor industry, encouraging semiconductor companies to expand in the state and leverage the expertise and capacity at Texas higher education institutions.
It also established the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, both of which are administered by the Texas CHIPS Office, a division within the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office in the Office of the Governor.
In 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Texas as the top state in semiconductor manufacturing with $19.6 billion in exports.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas projects that Texas will add about 154,600 jobs in 2026, representing an estimated 1.1% increase in employment.
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Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa again contended that the Texas economy cannot sustain energy drains like incoming data centers.
In response to reporting from the Texas Tribune that Texas is giving more than $1 billion per year in tax breaks to data centers — a figure projected to reach $1.8 billion annually by 2030.
“Greg Abbott is bending over backwards to build data centers that line the pockets of his donors, while raising our utility rates and depleting our water. These data centers are owned by the richest men in the world — they should pay for them themselves,” she said in a campaign news release on Wednesday, April 8.
Among the key data cited by her campaign are:
More on jobs in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Gina Hinojosa discuss how to prepare Texas for jobs
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23, by mail or Oct. 19, in person. The absentee ballot return deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, is Election Day in Texas.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.

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