Andrew White
Houston businessman Andrew White on Monday dropped his Democratic bid for governor and endorsed state Rep. Gina Hinojosa to take on Gov. Greg Abbott in November.
“With the primary just weeks away, the responsible choice is to come together to defeat Greg Abbott and protect our schools, hospitals and infrastructure,” White said in a statement. “I’m proud to endorse Gina Hinojosa for governor, and I look forward to voting for her twice: once in March and again in November.”
White, the son of former Texas Gov. Mark White, had pledged to run as an independent-minded Democrat and unite Texans across the political spectrum. His departure leaves Hinojosa, former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell and retired firefighter and rancher Bobby Cole in the race, among others. It also marks White’s second unsuccessful run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, after he lost in a runoff in 2018.
White said in a video on social media that his campaign hadn’t raised enough money to be successful, despite internal polling placing him second in the nine-person race. He had pledged to personally cover the overhead expenses of his campaign.
“Instead of fighting this fight against Gina, I think it’s better for me to step aside and Gina save her resources so she can beat Greg Abbott in November,” he said.
Good on him. That’s not an easy thing to do – it always seems easier for candidates to talk themselves into believing they still have a chance – but he did it. I hope his fundraising challenges were representative of people coalescing around Hinojosa and not of there being no money for Democratic candidates for Governor. I suppose I’ll find out when I start looking at the finance reports.
It should be noted that while White is suspending his campaign, he will still appear on the primary ballot. The deadline to withdraw and have your name not appear on the ballot was December 9. Hopefully enough people will get the message about this so they don’t waste their vote in March. I’ve included statements from candidates Bobby Cole and Chris Bell beneath the fold. The Chron has more.
Bobby Cole Statement on Andrew White Dropping Out
“The party insiders and establishment Democrats are lining up behind their candidate, and it’s the same playbook they’ve tried, and failed at, for decades to beat Republicans in Texas. I’m a retired firefighter and rancher who can connect with working people in our cities and break through in the rural communities, like mine, where Democrats have stopped showing up. That’s the only real path to victory in Texas—a candidate who can build a real statewide coalition, not just run up the score where we are already doing well. If we want to kick Greg Abbott out of the Governor’s Mansion, we need a candidate who can earn the trust of folks who are skeptical of us and who live in places where we have stopped putting up a fight. I’m still in the fight because I am the only Democrat running for governor that can beat Greg Abbott.”
Statement from Chris Bell on Texas Governor’s Race
“I’d like to thank Andrew White for his dedication to the values that Texans hold near to their hearts, the values that I will bring back to our great state as Governor.
Debate lies at the very heart of our democracy. Competition creates leadership. I invite my peers and colleagues to engage in those tried-and-true traditions, to give Texans a choice. Join me in fighting for a brighter future for all Texans.”
Andrew White the ConservaDem dog-whistler? https://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2025/10/texas-conservadem-andrew-white-possibly.html
Good riddance.