Texas has a new governor — and she’s from the Rio Grande Valley

Brownsville native Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, becoming Texas’ first Latina governor and ending more than three decades of Republican control of the governor’s office in an election that could reshape state policies affecting businesses and economic development across the Rio Grande Valley.

Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative from Austin, becomes the first Democrat elected Texas governor since Ann Richards, who lost her reelection bid to George W. Bush in 1994.

Her victory marks a historic shift in Texas politics, but the economic implications will depend largely on her ability to work with state lawmakers to advance her policy priorities.

For the Rio Grande Valley, the election places someone who grew up in the region in the state’s highest executive office at a time when South Texas is attracting billions of dollars in proposed investments in artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, manufacturing and industrial development.