AUSTIN, Texas -- In a stunning upset, Gina Hinojosa was elected the first Democratic governor of Texas in more than 30 years on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Greg Abbott and catapulting a decided underdog to the helm of what has long been the nation's most populous red state.

She will become Texas' first Latina governor - and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards in the 1990s - following a groundbreaking victory that topples one of the nation's most prominent Republican governors and steadfast supporters of President Donald Trump, possibly accelerating the state's shift to an emerging battleground.

Her victory was part of an electrifying night for Democrats in Texas, where James Talarico also won election, defeating Republican Ken Paxton in the race for the U.S. Senate.