Incoming Texas Democrats May Flip Policies on Abortion, Data Centers, Schools

Texas Republicans who led the state into the nation’s culture wars are bracing for an incoming Democratic leadership that may try to flip a long list of conservative policy wins. Among the measures passed in recent years were a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, restrictions on abortion in most cases, prohibitions on DEI policies at public colleges and universities, and restrictions on drag shows – all policies criticized by Democratic candidates during the campaign.GOP lawmakers also sought to purge public schools of what they called left-wing ideology, and took several steps to infuse religious themes into public education. The legislature passed a bill in 2025 requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, and added a law that requires schools to decide whether to set aside time for a daily devotional period. The fate of those policies is uncertain now after Democrats swept every state-wide offices, and flipped the state House in Tuesday’s election. Some of the policies appear poised to be scaled back by incoming governor Gina Hinojosa, a pro-choice Democrat who before the 2026 campaign identified as a progressive.Ms. Hinojosa sought to transform her image in the months before the election, and struck a more populist tone. She successfully tapped into the anger of suburban women displeased with the state’s public education system, campaigned against the use of Flock surveillance cameras, and opposed the rapid construction of more data centers. She also generally avoided more controversial social issues, telling Politico, “We’re not doing the culture wars. We are talking about how we’re gonna deliver for Texans, how we’re gonna make life easier for working families.”Ms. Hinojosa said she would not seek to use her time as governor to expand access to abortion, or reverse the ban on gender affirming care for minors. She has said, however, that she would try to eliminate restrictions on legal abortion. The executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, Amy O’Donnell, said pro-life activists are “disappointed” by the Democrats’ electoral sweep. She criticized Ms. Hinojosa for making “inaccurate statements” about Texas’s abortion laws, such as the governor-elect’s claim that the restrictions endanger women’s lives.” Ms. O’Donnell noted Ms. Hinojosa supported the Life of the Mother Act, which clarified that doctors can perform abortions when a woman is facing a medical emergency, even if her death or impairment is not “imminent.”Another incoming state official, attorney general-elect Nathan Johnson, has signaled he wants to scale back some abortion-related policies, like the lawsuits filed against out-of-state doctors who might be shipping abortion pills to the state. Texas’s outgoing attorney general, Ken Paxton, has sued several doctors in other states, arguing such shipments violate state law.Mr. Johnson told the Texas Tribune on Tuesday that he “will enforce the law,” but said there is a difference between “upholding and enforcing the law” and “using it to score political points.” “What I can do is cease using Texas abortion laws as an instrument of persecution and intimidation, harassment and political showboating. All four of those things have happened,” Mr. Johnson said. Ms. O’Donnell criticized Mr. Johnson for his promise to end lawsuits against abortion providers. She said the attorney general “has one job: to enforce the laws, whether he likes them or not.”Pro-choice activists have suggested Ms. Hinojosa may be able to win support to add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s abortion law. Ms. O’Donnell said pro-life activists will fight efforts to “weaken” the state’s laws.“All lives are valuable and worthy of protection, regardless of the circumstances of conception or a diagnosis in the womb,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “Despite the election setbacks and concerns about our state’s current political makeup, Texas Alliance for Life stands undeterred in our fight to protect innocent human life.”Texas is not the only state that may see efforts to rollback abortion laws. On Friday, Georgia’s governor-elect, Keisha Lance Bottoms, told reporters eliminating the state’s six-week abortion ban is not off the table. Democrats in Georgia won a majority in the state House for the first time since 2004. While Ms. Hinojosa said abortion law would not be a priority, Ms. Bottoms told reporters she will consult with leaders in the state legislature.“If we see a pathway to do something about it this session, then we’re going to take that opportunity. And it may not be this session. If it’s not this session, then we’re going to take that first opportunity that we have,” she said.Texans may also see some changes with LGBT issues. Mr. Johnson has said he would not enforce a law that requires transgender individuals to use bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their biological sex. He has also vowed to end investigations into medical providers that have provided gender affirming care to minors. On another issue, Ms. Hinojosa has publicly said she would work to curtail the state’s school voucher program — through which families can receive up to $10,000 for private school tuition, $2,000 for homeschooling costs, and up to $30,000 for students with disabilities. Ms. Hinojosa has labeled the program a “scam,” and said it deprives public schools of funds, while giving money to families already sending children to private schools. She has not publicly vowed to eliminate the program, which would require support from the legislature, but has indicated she would try to limit eligibility to low-income families. Outside of the governor’s office, Democrats are hopeful they will have more influence on the State Board of Education after they flipped at least four seats. Before the election, Republicans had an 11-4 majority. With the new seats, Democrats may have more leverage to control what students learn and read. On another major campaign issue, the construction of data centers, Ms. Hinojosa wants to impose a moratorium on the construction of new facilities, and end tax breaks for others. While conservatives consider the potential overturning of many policies, the chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party, Drinda Randall, said in a statement the party will rebuild by focusing on affordability and public safety, while putting up “competent, principled candidates.”

Incoming Texas Democrats May Flip Policies on Abortion, Data Centers, Schools

Incoming Texas Democrats May Flip Policies on Abortion, Data Centers, Schools

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