Property taxes front and center in Texas gubernatorial race

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(The Center Square) – The gloves are off in the Texas gubernatorial race with attack ads being launched on both sides. One key issue is property taxes.

Abbott’s campaign launched a $12 million ad buy targeting the voting record of his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. The ad says she’s voted 40 times in the state legislature to increase property taxes, saying, “she’s too radical to be governor.”

“Gina Hinojosa has never met a property tax hike she didn’t like, and her voting record proves it,” Abbott said. “As the Democrats' most beloved progressive liberal in Austin, she voted 40 times to increase Texans’ property taxes. Now she wants a promotion. Texas families know what that would mean for their wallets: higher taxes and less money in their pockets. Texas cannot afford Gina Hinojosa.”

Abbott’s campaign also sent an email with a list of all 40 votes she cast by bill number and legislative session over five legislative sessions.

In response, Hinojosa said, “Greg Abbott can’t defend the fact that property taxes have gone up 85%. That's why he has to lie about my record and why he refuses to debate me. He knows he’ll finally have to answer for selling out Texas to billionaires and big corporations and sticking us with the bill.”

Hinojosa published a video of Abbott claiming to “deliver property tax relief” dating to 2018. Each clip includes comments he made that year and the percentage that property taxes increased that year compared to previous years. In 2022, Texas had a budget surplus of $27 billion and property taxes had increased by nearly 22% from 2019, Hinojosa said.

If Abbott “wanted to lower taxes, he had plenty of chances to do so in the last 12 years he's been governor,” she said.

On Wednesday, Hinojosa’s campaign launched a new ad, “The Truth,” saying Abbott’s ads about her are “lies.” The seven-figure ad buy argues that under Abbott, property taxes increased by 85%, more public schools were closed and electricity bills skyrocketed all “to benefit his billionaire donors at the expense of working people.”

She says she wants “to save Texas with low taxes where families can afford to get ahead.”

Hinojosa’s campaign website doesn’t include a plan to lower property taxes. Two priorities she’s listed include saving Texas public schools and sending all Texans a $1,500 check to help with expenses. Hinojosa has yet to introduce a plan to reduce property taxes.

Hinojosa is one of several Austin Democrats running for office who voted to increase property taxes for Austin ISD, The Center Square reported. During Hinojosa’s tenure on the board, including as its president, Austin ISD spending increased by more than $321 million, nearly 40%. Administrative payrolls increased by nearly 15% as teacher pay increased by 3.5%, Abbott’s campaign said. 

Property tax reform measures spearheaded by Abbott and the legislature have resulted in 60% of seniors and the disabled and 40% of other homestead homeowners in Texas paying no school district property taxes, The Center Square reported.

Abbott has laid out a five-point property tax plan, which he argues will lower property taxes even more. He argues spiking appraisals and local government tax hikes have wiped out property tax reduction gains and more needs to be done. His plan includes imposing budget constraints on local governments, requiring a two-thirds vote for taxing authorities to impose property tax increases, reforming the appraisal process, eliminating the ISD M&O tax altogether and proposing a constitutional amendment to do that.

Abbott has also announced a series of proposals to reduce property and casualty insurance, lower housing costs and health insurance, college tuition, and other costs, The Center Square reported. 

The race is the closest of Abbott’s political career. Over the last few months, Hinojosa has closed an 8-point race to coming within the margin of error. In the last three weeks, multiple polls have indicated the race is statistically tied. 

In August, for the first time in more than a decade, the governor’s race was downgraded by University of Virginia’s Center for Politics from “safe Republican” to “likely Republican.” The Cook Political Report also adjusted its rating for the race to “leans right” instead of solidly Republican, The Center Square reported. 

According to a Real Clear Politics average of polls, Abbott is expected to win in November by 1.5 points. In previous elections, he’s won by more than 20 points.

Two polls released in the last week, Marist and Texas A&M/Sienna, have Hinojosa ahead by three and four points, respectively.