'That stops when I'm governor': Gina Hinojosa on data centers

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: The blue stampede that has run through Texas, a U.S. Senate seat, the state's house, and the governor's mansion. Joining me now is the Democratic governor-elect of Texas, Gina Hinojosa. Governor-elect, I have to say, you know, I'm stunned. Congratulations on a historic victory. The only reason I'm stunned has nothing to do with your talents. It has to do with your state. Texas has not elected Democrats to statewide office since I was 25, and that's 1994. So how did you do it? [00:00:35] Gina Hinojosa: Well, Jake, we've been telling you for a year something's happening in Texas, and now you'll believe it. Yes, people want to change. Listen, people are struggling in a big way in this high-cost economy. They knew Greg Abbott had been there a long time, and they just wanted change. It is not that people are all of a sudden pro-team Democrat. It's just that they want a new way forward. And so that created opportunity. And we made a case that was strictly about kitchen table issues, public schools, and that is a Texas agenda. It's not a partisan agenda. And I think people are just tired of fighting and ready to have a government that delivers. [00:01:15] Speaker 1: Current governor, Greg Abbott, was going for a record fourth term. And I don't need to tell you, a lot of Democrats didn't want to take on the challenge of running against him. I remember when you were trying to get other Democrats to run for the seat, and then ultimately you ran for it. And you know, I heard a lot of scuttlebutt like a year ago. Oh, that'd be good for her. She'll improve her profile. She'll get well known. No, you won. You became the governor. What did Abbott have to say to you when he called to concede? Because I can't imagine he saw this coming. [00:01:46] Gina Hinojosa: He was actually very gracious. And he said he would be as helpful as he could and offered his team to be helpful as well. And since then, our teams have been coordinating. And I am very appreciative of his effort to work with us so that we can make sure we have a smooth transition and that the people [00:02:06] Speaker 1: of Texas are taken care of. One of the big funders of the Republican side, especially running against Tallarico, the pro-Paxon side, was Elon Musk. And a lot of that had to do with what he wants to do with the AI industry. And right now, the AI industry is grappling with what all these Democratic victories are going to mean for them. As you no doubt know, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Dow and the S&P all posted their worst days since April 2025 today, wiping out yesterday's post-election gains. Your victory in particular is one that we're told AI investors are worried about, given your promises of a temporary data center moratorium. CNN's voter polls from your race on Tuesday showed that voters overwhelmingly are with you. They oppose building data centers in their communities, 75% to 25%. So how do you, Elevina, weigh how Texans' interests and your policy promises and the immediate economic consequences all work together? [00:03:09] Gina Hinojosa: Right. Well, we have always been a pro-business state in Texas. But what changes now with me as governor is it has to be a partnership that benefits Texans. And right now, what has happened is data centers have moved into mostly rural communities. And there are no rules and laws to protect Texans and Texans are being taken advantage of. So the difference is we will have laws to protect Texans and we need to stop what we are doing with data centers until we have those protections. We can have a strong economy, strong industry and protections for the people of Texas. Those things are not mutually exclusive. And I'll make sure as governor, I lead to ensure that that happens. [00:03:48] Speaker 1: So you're not ruling out that data centers will be able to be built in Texas. It's just you want there to be regulations to protect communities. Is that right? [00:03:59] Gina Hinojosa: And that communities have a seat at the table to decide if and how these data centers come into their communities. Texas is like a country. We are so diverse in all the ways different communities have different needs. And those communities have to be able to walk away from the table to leverage what they need for their communities. So absolutely, we need to make sure they are partners in this effort. And that has always been my position. It is not that I hate data centers. I hate the way they are taking advantage of Texas. And that stops when I'm governor. [00:04:31] Speaker 1: You said this afternoon that you asked the head of Texas Parks and Wildlife to not sell Boca Chica State Park in South Texas to Elon Musk's SpaceX. And as you know, Elon Musk threw hundreds of millions of dollars behind Republican candidates this cycle to try to keep Texas red. He's moved Tesla and SpaceX and a planned chip making venture to Texas to avoid what he calls or what he deems burdensome regulations in California. So what do you say to the concerns that Musk might move these very lucrative businesses out of Texas after these Democratic victories and say, go to Tennessee? [00:05:07] Gina Hinojosa: Well, look, as I said before, we have to have balance. These are our beaches we're talking about. I mean, selling our beach to Elon Musk is just something that is almost unimaginable. It's unacceptable. Our beaches are enshrined in our Texas Constitution as being free and open to the people of Texas because there are our beaches. We can have a strong working relationship with Elon Musk and his companies, but it has to be on our terms. It cannot be just running over the people of Texas. And that's what changes [00:05:42] Speaker 1: now that I will be governor. So you announced, I think earlier today, part of your transition team, including a former Republican state representative. What do you want your supporters to know about your commitment to working across the aisle? Because I'm sure there are people in the middle of the road who voted for you who are happy to hear about a former Republican being part of your team. But there might be some folks on the left who are part of your coalition who think, oh, no. What do you say to that? [00:06:12] Gina Hinojosa: I say that the left-right paradigm just does not meet the moment of our time. What this is about is about 99.9% of us in the same boat against like 15 billionaire tech guys who are frankly controlling government. And that's what the people voted against in this election. The people gave us a mandate for a change. And we didn't just have Democratic supporters. We had independent supporters and Republican supporters. Republican supporters because of my position on public schools. There is no light between myself and the Republican I just announced would be co-chairing my transition team on public schools. We all want strong public schools where teachers are prioritized. We have smaller class sizes and our schools have what they need so that our kids get a world-class education. That's not a Democratic priority. That is a parent, family and community priority. And as such, yes, I do have strong support from Republicans on that issue. And I intend to use that support so that we can get things done. [00:07:14] Speaker 1: Can I ask you kind of like a mushy Barbara Walters kind of question? Which is, and I mean that with respect and reverence for my former colleague Barbara Walters. It's just this, you are the first Latina governor in the history of the state of Texas. And I wonder what would you say to three or four-year-old Gina Hinojosa, if you could, about where you are today? [00:07:41] Gina Hinojosa: I would say always believe in yourself even when others don't. You know what you can do. You know what you can accomplish. And I would say that to any little girl, any child out there. It is so important that we believe in what we can achieve even when others don't. And we can do great things. [00:08:01] Speaker 1: Well, congratulations, Texas Democratic governor elect Gina Hinojosa. I, again, I'm, I'm stunned. It's a great achievement, a stunning achievement. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much.