Greg Abbott Loses Texas, Republican Wants His Powers Curbed Before Democrat Inherits Them: 'Dictator!'

As Texas elected its first Democratic governor in more than three decades, a Republican lawmaker has demanded that Greg Abbott strip the office of its emergency powers before Gina Hinojosa moves in.

State Representative Brian Harrison said that without action, Hinojosa will inherit 'the powers of a DICTATOR'.

He wants Abbott to call a special session of the Legislature before she is sworn in on 19 January. Critics, including the incoming Democratic attorney general, call the idea irresponsible.

A Historic Defeat for Greg Abbott

Hinojosa unseated Abbott, a three-term Republican, on Tuesday 3 November. She is the first Democrat to hold the state's top job since 1995 and the first Latina to do so.

Democrats also won the races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller. The upset was part of a wider Democratic sweep, in which the party took control of both chambers of Congress and won a US Senate seat in Texas.

Hinojosa is a state representative from Austin. Abbott, who has led Texas since 2015, has conceded her victory. She will be sworn in on 19 January 2027, a week after the regular legislative session begins.

'The Powers of a Dictator'

Harrison, who represents parts of Ellis County, won his own re-election and served in the first Trump administration as chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services.

He took to social media to urge Abbott to act, calling on the governor to 'convene a special session to REIN IN EXECUTIVE EMERGENCY POWERS... before Gina Hinojosa is sworn in!'

'Without action, Governor Hinojosa will inherit the powers of a DICTATOR,' he wrote.

In a Zoom interview with FOX 4 reporter Amelia Jones, Harrison said Abbott should convene the Legislature so that Hinojosa does not inherit 'effectively all the powers of a dictator in the state of Texas.' His proposal would also bar the governor from suspending or modifying statutes.

Harrison has pushed the idea before. He filed HB 911 in December 2022, ahead of the 2023 legislative session. It would have limited the scope and duration of emergency orders and required many to expire after 30 days unless the Legislature extended them.

The bill was referred to committee in March 2023 but never advanced. FOX 4 also quoted an earlier Harrison proposal: 'Never-ending emergency powers are antithetical to representative government and render people powerless.'

What the Governor Can Do

The powers at issue are set forth in Chapter 418 of the Texas Government Code, the Texas Disaster Act. Under it, the governor may issue executive orders, proclamations and regulations that 'have the force and effect of law', and can suspend certain regulatory statutes and agency rules when strict compliance would hinder a disaster response.

Only the governor can call a special session and must state its purpose. Lawmakers can consider only the subjects the governor includes, and a session can last no more than 30 days, according to the Texas Constitution.

That means Harrison's plan depends entirely on Abbott, who leaned heavily on those powers during his time in office.

He kept a Covid-19 disaster declaration in place from March 2020 until June 2023 and has used disaster declarations on the southern border to underpin Operation Lone Star.