Abbott, who is seeking to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history, has historically won elections by significant margins. However, the current race against Hinojosa is proving to be more competitive than his previous contests. His campaign recently announced a $12 million ad buy focused on Hinojosa's legislative record, particularly her votes on property taxes.
An advertisement from Abbott's campaign claims Hinojosa voted "more than 40 times for higher property taxes." Hinojosa has strongly disputed this, stating she has never voted to increase property taxes and that the cited votes are taken out of context. Abbott's campaign argues these votes allowed local officials more latitude to raise taxes.
Beyond property taxes, Abbott's campaign is also criticizing Hinojosa's positions on education, public safety, and issues concerning transgender Texans. Political analysts suggest Abbott's intensified attacks are an effort to define Hinojosa for voters as her poll numbers have risen.
Political science professor Kirby Goidel of Texas A&M University noted that the race is closer than Abbott's campaign might be comfortable with, prompting a strategy to define the challenger. Conversely, Joshua Blank of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin suggested Hinojosa used the summer months, when Abbott was not focusing on her, to introduce herself to voters, contributing to the race's competitiveness.
Both candidates are emphasizing affordability as a key campaign theme. Abbott is touring the state with his "Abbott Affordability Agenda," while Hinojosa's campaign focus on affordability may also be contributing to her stronger-than-expected polling. Analysts believe that other Republican candidates on the ballot may be making Abbott's reelection bid more challenging.