Eager for a statewide breakthrough, Texas Democrats will soon decide who will lead their party

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa speaks at an election rally for Frank Ramirez, Democratic nominee for House District 118, in San Antonio on Oct. 31, 2021. (Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune)

Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa is facing two challengers for reelection at the party’s convention this weekend, a race that is serving as a referendum on Democrats’ pace of progress in a still-red state.

Hinojosa has held the job for a decade, but his opponents, Kim Olson and Carroll G. Robinson, argue it is a time for a change, especially after the disappointing 2020 election. Hinojosa says he has expanded the party immensely since he took over in 2012, placing it on the cusp of statewide victory in November.