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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott is making affordability a central part of his closing pitch to voters, touting his "most detailed plan" to save some households thousands of dollars during an interview with KBTX, as polls show his race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa has become highly competitive.
The Republican governor, who is seeking a fourth term in November, has proposed an affordability package centered on cutting property taxes alongside measures addressing health care, insurance, college and housing costs.
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Abbott's campaign said its plan would cut the average homeowner's property tax bill by as much as 50 percent and save roughly $3,000 per year.
It also says a proposed Essential Health Benefits plan could reduce premiums by nearly 20 percent and save Texas families nearly $1,150, putting the potential combined savings from those two proposals alone at more than $4,000 for households able to benefit from both.
“I have the most detailed plan of any candidate on the ballot to lower the cost of living,” Abbott told KBTX. on Wednesday “It starts with slashing property taxes in half, which will reduce the property tax bill for the average Texan by $3,000, but also includes a new health insurance plan that will reduce the cost of health insurance by $1,000 a family for $3,000 less for small businesses who want to provide that health insurance for their employees. Also, an auto insurance reduction, more than 30% for a good driver discount, to make it cheaper for people to own and run a car.”
According to his affordability agenda—aptly named The Abbott Affordability Agenda—his property-tax proposals include eliminating school property taxes for homeowners, imposing spending limits on local governments, requiring two-thirds voter approval for tax increases, and making property appraisals more predictable.
Abbott has already signed measures increasing the mandatory school district homestead exemption to $140,000, while raising the exemption for homeowners who are over 65 or disabled to $200,000. His office said in June 2025 that Texas had devoted $50 billion to property tax relief during that legislative session.
Hinojosa is challenging Abbott on the same economic territory.
Her campaign proposes sending every Texas household a one-time $1,500 "corruption tax refund." Hinojosa says she would ask the Legislature to use $17 billion from the state's Rainy Day Fund for the payments, leaving roughly $10 billion in the account. She is also proposing measures addressing grocery, electricity, health care and housing costs.
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That sets up a competing affordability argument in the final stretch: Abbott is emphasizing recurring savings through tax and cost-cutting policies, while Hinojosa is promising an immediate payment alongside longer-term reforms.
Polls Show Volatile Race
The affordability push comes as polling suggests Abbott's contest with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa is far closer than his previous victories.
A YouGov survey conducted from September 28 to October 5 put Hinojosa at 48 percent and Abbott at 47 percent among likely voters, within the poll's three-point margin of error.
But other recent polls have produced dramatically different results, with candidates alternating narrow leads.
For example, the University of Texas' Texas Politics Project polling tracker shows a New York Times/Siena survey giving Hinojosa a three-point lead, while a Fox News poll conducted around the same period gave Abbott a five-point advantage.
RealClearPolling currently puts Abbott narrowly ahead in its average, 48.1 percent to 46.4 percent, a 1.7-point advantage.
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The numbers represent a sharp change from earlier in the campaign.
The Texas Politics Project's tracker shows Abbott leading Hinojosa by seven points in its June University of Texas poll, while another June survey from the New York Times/Siena also gave the Republican a seven-point advantage.
The race is particularly consequential for both parties. Abbott is seeking a fourth term, while a Hinojosa victory would give Democrats the Texas governorship for the first time since the 1990s.
With the latest polling offering sharply different pictures of the electorate, affordability and which candidate voters trust to ease household costs could play an important role as Texans head toward Election Day on November 3.
Newsweek has reached out to Abbott and Hinojosa for comment.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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