Gina
Hinojosa

Reporting on October 11 noted that national Democrats were investing more heavily in Hinojosa's campaign following Pritzker's support and continued pressure from Texas Latino leaders on the Democratic Governors Association.

As of October 11, reports indicated Abbott had ignored at least three debate invitations. Hinojosa escalated her challenge, saying she would show up at the Governor's Mansion to press him to debate, sparking both backlash and support.

Hinojosa again publicly pressed Abbott to accept the debate invitation from NBCUniversal's Texas stations and Hearst Newspapers Texas, citing improved poll numbers as evidence voters want a direct confrontation between the candidates.

At a San Antonio campaign event, Hinojosa criticized Abbott over data-center tax breaks and his campaign donors, accusing him of favoring industry interests over ordinary Texans. These were Hinojosa's accusations and policy criticisms.

A YouGov poll reported October 8 showed Abbott narrowly ahead 48% to 47%, also within the poll's margin of error, reflecting continued competitiveness in the race.

After Abbott had not accepted an invitation to a debate scheduled for October 15 in Fort Worth, Hinojosa challenged him to meet her at the Governor's Mansion on October 15 at 10 a.m., saying 'I will come to him to debate. He needs to stop hiding from the voters.'

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association each announced they would invest $1 million in support of Hinojosa's bid, following pressure from Texas Latino Democratic leaders urging national Democrats to engage in the race.

Filings covering July 1–September 24 showed Abbott raised more than $20 million compared to Hinojosa's approximately $13.26 million in contributions. Hinojosa had about $4.1 million cash on hand for the period.

The Hinojosa campaign announced it had raised $22 million overall, including $3 million after September 25. The campaign reported more than 248,000 contributions from over 136,000 donors, with 74% first-time contributors and an average contribution of about $53.

A New York Times/Siena poll conducted September 21–30 and published October 4 found Hinojosa ahead 49% to 46%, within the poll's 4.5-point margin of error.

Texas Latino Democratic leaders publicly urged the Democratic Governors Association to put more money behind Hinojosa's gubernatorial bid as the race appeared to tighten.

At a campaign stop, Hinojosa called for an immediate statewide halt to new data-center construction and criticized the STAAR standardized test, framing her campaign as offering Texas a 'fresh start.'

In a September 28 interview with Politico, Hinojosa described plans for a zero-based review of state education contracts to fund teacher pay and smaller class sizes, and called for a moratorium on new data centers until the Legislature adopts protections for Texans over water and electricity.

A Marist poll released September 23 showed Hinojosa ahead of Abbott 49% to 46%, continuing a pattern of competitive polling in the race.

Third Act Texas announced its endorsement of Hinojosa in the Texas governor's race.

A ReconMR poll released September 17 put Hinojosa at 49% and Abbott at 45%, one of several polls showing the Democratic nominee running close to or ahead of the incumbent governor.