Billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s millions and Greg Abbott’s $106 million war chest couldn’t stop Democrats from flipping Texas and Ohio
Source: Fortune ·
Democrats flipped governor’s races in Texas and Ohio despite nine-figure spending, and won Iowa’s governorship for the first time since 2006.
From the source
Republicans backed by nine-figure sums lost governor’s races Tuesday night. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott conceded to Democrat Gina Hinojosa despite entering the year with $105.7 million on hand. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire who put tens of millions of his own dollars into the race. And in Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand won the governorship, the first Democrat to do so since 2006. Texas Abbott conceded at 10 p.m., ending his bid for a record fourth term. Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative, will be the first Latina governor of Texas and the first Democrat elected governor there since 1990. With votes still being counted, she led Abbott 57% to 42%. Abbott entered 2026 with $105.7 million on hand. His top donors in the second half of 2025 included Midland oil executive Javaid Anwar, who gave more than $1.6 million, and casino magnate Miriam Adelson, who gave $1 million. Both candidates ran on lowering costs. Abbott favored tax and regulation cuts,…
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