Gina Hinojosa says there's "deep disappointment in both political parties" in Texas right now

[0:00] We turn now to the Texas governor's race and Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa. [0:04] She joins us from Austin. Good to have you here. [0:07] It's great to be with you. [0:09] So, if you win, you would be the first Democratic governor and the first female [0:14] governor in over 30 years. You're running in a state, though, that has more Republicans than [0:21] Democrats. So, what is your message to get Republicans to cross over and vote for you? [0:25] Well, right now, nobody wants politics as usual. Most of us see that it is broken. [0:31] And so what we are seeing in Texas is, because there is deep disappointment in both political [0:37] parties, people are forging a new way forward, one that is postpartisan in some ways. [0:43] The data centers are a physical manifestation of a governor, Governor Abbott, and a government [0:49] that's working for the moneyed interests and leaving the people of Texas to fend for themselves. [0:54] Public schools are another issue where there has been a bipartisan coming together [0:59] in support of our public schools. And so, listen, this creates an opportunity for Texans to evaluate [1:05] the candidate. I believe that's why we have now six or seven polls out of the last six weeks that [1:13] show us winning. All polls show us within the margin of error. Turnout is high. Enthusiasm is high [1:19] on our side. So, we feel really good about where we are. [1:21] LISA DESJARDINS- You mentioned schools. I was surprised to see that 181 school [1:26] districts in Texas are operating just four days a week. Some schools have shut down. [1:31] How much of this is people just moving to more populated areas out of the rural ones, [1:36] and how much of it is funding? [1:38] LISA DESJARDINS- A lot of it is funding. Greg Abbott in 2023 withheld funding our schools needed [1:45] because we didn't pass vouchers. He said he would withhold it if we didn't pass it. [1:49] And we didn't. We fought it. Myself and James Tallarico led that fight to stop school vouchers. [1:56] He passed it last year. That took a billion dollars from our neighborhood public schools [2:01] to take and put into unaccountable private schools. And so school districts are really struggling. [2:07] Our schools are shutting down. Teachers have left. And you should know that public schools are part of [2:12] our identity as Texans. They are enshrined in our Texas Constitution as being essential to our [2:17] liberties. They are the largest employer in most or many of our counties. They are Friday night lights. [2:23] And so there is bipartisan anger about what Greg Abbott has done to our public schools. And, [2:30] listen, I'm running my broad agendas to secure the American dream. And public schools are essential, [2:35] are an essential part of the American dream because they provide the gateway and the opportunity [2:41] to the American dream. So saving Texas public schools is a key part of my agenda. And that's why [2:47] this campaign has resonated amongst Texans. [2:49] AMNA NAWAZ- You have been campaigning on the issue of Texas having the highest [2:52] uninsured rate and the highest number of uninsured children in this country. [2:58] If you win, you're still going to have a Republican-controlled legislature. You're [3:02] likely to have a Republican lieutenant governor. How do you work with them to improve health care? [3:07] AMNA NAWAZ- Well, I'll tell you that my agenda is not a Democratic agenda. [3:10] It is a popular populist agenda, one that delivers for the people of Texas. So my [3:15] health care policy and platform and plan is to ensure every Texas child has quality [3:21] health care because we have the most uninsured children of any state in America. We're one [3:25] of the few states that hasn't expanded Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid is one way to get there. [3:29] Democrats of the past have run on expanding Medicaid. I am not, because most people don't [3:34] understand what that means. They know what it means to provide quality health care to our children. [3:39] So that is what I'm running on. I think there is bipartisan support to get there. There's also a [3:44] big problem in Texas with those of us who have insurance paying more. And it's harder to see the [3:49] doctors we need and getting the medication we need. So banning those bad faith denials is a key [3:55] part of my agenda as well. [3:57] AMNA NAWAZ- But you do want to expand Medicaid, just to be clear? [4:00] AMNA NAWAZ- Yes, but we're not running on that. That is just the process. [4:04] It's kind of a geeky way to talk about ensuring people. We're talking about ensuring every Texas [4:10] child has quality health care. And that's part of my Secure the American Dream agenda that can be [4:16] found on my website at Ginafortexas.com. AMNA NAWAZ- Okay. So, Governor Abbott gave [4:22] Hyperscale data centers, which you mentioned, a 20-year tax break and wanted to make your state [4:28] the epicenter, he said, of AI development. You are calling for a moratorium, an immediate one, [4:34] on building any data centers until the state legislature puts in place protections. [4:39] Do you want to repeal those tax breaks? Like, what exactly are the protections you think you can get [4:46] your Republicans that you will deal with on board with? [4:49] AMNA NAWAZ- You know, what's interesting is, nobody's pushing back against the data [4:53] centers harder than MAGA, because these data centers are mostly moving into our rural communities [4:58] that are unincorporated. There are no zoning regulations. There are no rules or laws. [5:03] And so this part of Texas is being taken advantage of by these data centers and the people of Texas [5:10] and rural Texas are being taken advantage of. So there's pressure on Republicans as well [5:14] to put in place some laws to stop this data center takeover. [5:19] Yes, I would repeal those tax breaks. And most importantly, I would give Texans a seat at the [5:24] table to decide if and how these data centers come into their community. [5:28] There are big water concerns. There are big electricity cost concerns, property rights concerns. [5:34] And so we need to visit all of it and make sure Texans are protected and, first and foremost, [5:38] have a seat at the table. [5:39] AMNA NAWAZ- You talk about repealing tax breaks. Someone who's a big investor [5:44] whose companies are in Texas is Elon Musk. He's given about half a million dollars to Governor [5:50] Abbott's campaign. You've filed a lawsuit, as I understand it, to try to obtain emails between [5:55] him and Governor Abbott. What are you trying to do with this? And isn't it dangerous, frankly, [6:02] to go after someone who employs so many Texans? [6:05] AMNA NAWAZ- Well, listen, we can't be afraid to do what's right as leaders in Texas. [6:11] And so the right thing is to see, what are these emails about? We have had breaking news in the last [6:17] few months. Just most recently, we learned that Greg Abbott's Parks and Wildlife Board plans to sell [6:23] our beach, Boca Chica Beach, to Elon Musk, who has plans to launch 356 rockets from these sites. [6:32] I'm from this part of Texas. Every time these rockets launch, it feels like an earthquake [6:37] happening. So we need to know what exactly is going on. We know Elon Musk received $1.7 billion [6:44] in tax breaks after he donated to Greg Abbott's campaign. We know that over the summer, [6:50] Greg Abbott intervened to redirect a $100 million broadband contract to Elon Musk. This was from [6:56] testimony during a Senate hearing by the director of the broadband office. So there's a lot that we need to [7:02] see. And as a legislator, I have a responsibility and a right to see what those emails are about. [7:07] AMNA NAWAZ- We'll see what you get. We'll watch your campaign. Thank you for your time today.