Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa (D-TX) talks to students during an early voting rally at the University of Houston on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Houston. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Midterm election season began with voter registration tables that popped up in campus walkways and outside University buildings. From there, it quickly accelerated into policy discussions, civic debates and visits by the biggest names in Texas politics, all in the sprint to Nov. 3: Election Day.
This year’s midterm elections brought an unparalleled energy to UH. There was hope, to be sure, but also worry, anger, fear and a stark awareness that eyes across the nation were on the Texas gubernatorial and senatorial races.
Here’s a recap of a midterm election season on campus.
Hinojosa, Talarico deliver remarks
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and Democratic senatorial candidate James Talarico both visited campus, Talarico on Oct. 21 and Hinojosa the day after.
Talarico, as part of his Clear Eyes Full Hearts Tour, spoke on his politics and hopes for Texas’ future to a crowd of students at the Hilton Hotel.
“I love his saying that it’s not left or right, it’s us versus the top,” said Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party Tracy Gibson. “He’s going to make sure that we all have affordable prices and that we can all be able to live the American dream.”
Talarico has labeled this election as ‘us versus the billionaires’, centering his campaign on affordability and lowering prices.
Supporters of Talarico voiced their hopes that Texas would turn blue by voting a Democrat into office. Texas has had two Republican senators continuously since 2002, and at least one Republican senator since 1961.
As a result, Talarico has compared blue voters in Texas to David in the Biblical story of David versus Goliath.
Hinojosa’s remarks focused on the importance of the youth vote. Her address at Butler Plaza, which laid out campaign promises around public education, distributing refund checks to Texas households and freezing electricity rates, drew an enthusiastic group of students who were able to meet with her and take photos.
“I’m really grateful she made the time to come out,” said political science sophomore Magen Ali. “I know campus campaigning time is really busy for a lot of politicians, so for her to be able to come out and see students one-on-one and take pictures, it shows her dedication and her care, and like that she’s actually going to fight for the people.”
Former U.S. rep. Beto O’Rourke was also present at the event and emphasized the need for voter turnout.
“When you vote, make sure that you share it on your social media feeds, in the chats, with your roommates, with your friends and with your family,” O’Rourke said. “It is a social habit. When your friends see that you’re voting, they are more likely to vote as well. So let’s make sure that we turn out in record numbers.”
Opposing takes
Contrasting agendas from Democrats and Republicans were met with starkly different student perspectives.
When it comes to the role of religion in education, President of UH Democrats and political science senior Jonathan Alvarenga advocated for inclusion of religions outside of Christianity, whereas president of Texas College of Republicans and political science junior Christian Mandujano said the Bible teaches K-12 students morality at an early age.
“With other cultural diversities, the problem is they also do have their morals, but you’re in the United States and they were founded on Christian morality,” Mandujano said. “There is a benefit to starting teaching the basics at a young level: be careful, be more obedient, less aggressive. The more you educate them on the wrongdoings, the better you can have a good generation and teach them at a young age.”
Alvarenga and Mandujano also diverge in their thinking on opportunities for undocumented students. Alvarenga argues that the problem is not these students seeking education but the issue Republicans find with students who came to Texas the “wrong way”.
“At the end of the day, it really just shows that it’s not about Dreamers, it’s not about whether they come here, however they want them to come here. It’s just a matter of prejudice against folks that aren’t, in their words, ‘from here’,” Alvarenga said. “If it really was about promoting education, making sure folks go to school, get a job, and contribute to the economy, they’d have no issue with this.”
And while Democrats are advocating for the restoration and protection of reproductive rights for women in Texas, Republicans are urging lawmakers to enact legislation to abolish abortion entirely.
Voting for change
Texas saw above-average voter turnout, surpassing its 2022 numbers by 1.75 million voters. UH voters said their personal investment in policies played a major role in driving them to the ballot box.
“Everything involving ICE, because my family is immigrants, so that’s something that really stands out to me,” said media production sophomore Ye-Jin Lee.
Young voters saw the midterm elections as an opportunity to correct issues going unresolved, speaking to the need to be aware and actively vote.
“If you don’t vote, you’re not gonna see a change, and a lot of the times the people who say they don’t vote are saying there’s no change,” said communications senior Emilee Gurrola. “So how are you gonna see a change if you don’t vote? Everyone says ‘my vote doesn’t matter’. But it does.”
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