Democrats Benson, Klobuchar and Hinojosa win governorships in Michigan, Minnesota and Texas

Democrats won three governorships in Tuesday's midterm elections, according to race calls by NBC News, CBS News and the Associated Press, extending their control in the Midwest and breaking a decades-long Republican hold in Texas.

In Michigan, NBC News projects that Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the state's secretary of state, will be the next governor, succeeding term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer ¹. Benson defeated Republican Rep. John James, who now finds himself without an elected office ¹. It is the first time since the 1960s that a Democrat will succeed a Democratic governor in the state ¹.

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Benson, secretary of state since 2019, gained national prominence as the chief election officer for the battleground state as Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election ¹. She is an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School and taught law at Wayne State University, where she went on to be dean ¹.

In Minnesota, CBS News projects that Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the first woman to serve as governor after defeating Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth ². Klobuchar will succeed Gov. Tim Walz, the two-term Democrat who announced in January he would not seek an unprecedented third term ².

From Channel GOPHinojosa promises $1,500 back to every Texas householdGina Hinojosa · 136 plays · captioned, with the source named

The Minnesota race was shaped by a fraud scandal in state-run social services programs. Dozens of people have been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from programs meant to provide food, shelter, health care and child care, according to The Associated Press, and CBS News has reported that federal prosecutors estimate the total could top $9 billion ². Through mid-October, Klobuchar had raised more than $15.5 million for her campaign, compared with $3.6 million for Demuth, according to campaign finance records cited by AP ².

In Texas, the Associated Press called the governor's race for Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the Texas governor's office ³. When Hinojosa, 52, takes office in January 2027 she will be the first Latina sworn in to serve as Texas governor and the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards, who left office in 1995 ³.

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Hinojosa, a former Austin school board president who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, built her campaign around public education and household costs ³. She opposed the private-school voucher program championed by Abbott that began in 2026 with $1 billion in tax money for students attending private schools ³. Abbott, 68, promised to lower property taxes in the state and said he had made Texas safer, in part by securing the border ³.

David Crockett, a political science professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, said before the election that a win by Hinojosa "would be perceived as an earthquake" after decades of Republican statewide victories ³. But she'll likely face a Republican-led legislature, he said: "Getting any meaningful legislation through is going to require them to find something they can agree on and that's not going to be easy" ³.

Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said before Election Day that a Democratic breakthrough would reflect frustration with Washington. "If Democrats win in Texas in 2026, it will be because of anger at the federal government and at Donald Trump," she said ³.

That matters because governors appoint the officials who run elections and sign or veto state laws on health care, schools and taxes. In Michigan, Democrats are also seeking state legislative majorities to go with the governorship; the party holds the state Senate but not the state House, and would have to net four House seats and hold the Senate to secure full control of state government ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Democrat Jocelyn Benson wins Michigan governor's race, NBC News projects ¹
2. Nov 3, 2026Democrat Amy Klobuchar wins Minnesota governor's race, CBS News projects ²
3. Nov 3, 2026Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeats Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas, the Associated Press calls ³

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<h2>Democrats Benson, Klobuchar and Hinojosa win governorships in Michigan, Minnesota and Texas</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-benson-klobuchar-and-hinojosa-win-governorships-in-michigan-minnesota">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrats won three governorships in Tuesday&#39;s midterm elections, according to race calls by NBC News, CBS News and the Associated Press, extending their control in the Midwest and breaking a decades-long Republican hold in Texas.</p> <p>In Michigan, NBC News projects that Democrat Jocelyn Benson, the state&#39;s secretary of state, will be the next governor, succeeding term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer . Benson defeated Republican Rep. John James, who now finds himself without an elected office . It is the first time since the 1960s that a Democrat will succeed a Democratic governor in the state .</p> <p>Benson, secretary of state since 2019, gained national prominence as the chief election officer for the battleground state as Trump tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election . She is an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School and taught law at Wayne State University, where she went on to be dean .</p> <p>In Minnesota, CBS News projects that Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will become the first woman to serve as governor after defeating Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth . Klobuchar will succeed Gov. Tim Walz, the two-term Democrat who announced in January he would not seek an unprecedented third term .</p> <p>The Minnesota race was shaped by a fraud scandal in state-run social services programs. Dozens of people have been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from programs meant to provide food, shelter, health care and child care, according to The Associated Press, and CBS News has reported that federal prosecutors estimate the total could top $9 billion . Through mid-October, Klobuchar had raised more than $15.5 million for her campaign, compared with $3.6 million for Demuth, according to campaign finance records cited by AP .</p> <p>In Texas, the Associated Press called the governor&#39;s race for Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, ending more than three decades of Republican control of the Texas governor&#39;s office . When Hinojosa, 52, takes office in January 2027 she will be the first Latina sworn in to serve as Texas governor and the first Democratic governor since Ann Richards, who left office in 1995 .</p> <p>Hinojosa, a former Austin school board president who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, built her campaign around public education and household costs . She opposed the private-school voucher program championed by Abbott that began in 2026 with $1 billion in tax money for students attending private schools . Abbott, 68, promised to lower property taxes in the state and said he had made Texas safer, in part by securing the border .</p> <p>David Crockett, a political science professor at Trinity University in San Antonio, said before the election that a win by Hinojosa &quot;would be perceived as an earthquake&quot; after decades of Republican statewide victories . But she&#39;ll likely face a Republican-led legislature, he said: &quot;Getting any meaningful legislation through is going to require them to find something they can agree on and that&#39;s not going to be easy&quot; .</p> <p>Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said before Election Day that a Democratic breakthrough would reflect frustration with Washington. &quot;If Democrats win in Texas in 2026, it will be because of anger at the federal government and at Donald Trump,&quot; she said .</p> <p>That matters because governors appoint the officials who run elections and sign or veto state laws on health care, schools and taxes. In Michigan, Democrats are also seeking state legislative majorities to go with the governorship; the party holds the state Senate but not the state House, and would have to net four House seats and hold the Senate to secure full control of state government .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-benson-klobuchar-and-hinojosa-win-governorships-in-michigan-minnesota">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/democrats-benson-klobuchar-and-hinojosa-win-governorships-in-michigan-minnesota.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. NBC News, “Jocelyn Benson wins Michigan governor’s race, extending Democratic control” (2026-11-04). nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/jocelyn-benson-michigan-g
2. CBS News, “Sen. Amy Klobuchar wins Minnesota governor's race, CBS News projects” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/klobuchar-wins-minnesota-governor-race-cbs-
3. NPR, “Democrat Gina Hinojosa wins race for Texas governor, ousting Greg Abbott” (2026-11-04). npr.org/2026/11/03/g-s1-150844/gina-hinojosa-texas-governor-

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