Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa and Texas Senator-elect James Talerico celebrate their wins. Business leaders may be reconsidering their moves after Texas went blue on Tuesday. Brandon Bell/Getty Images More than 200 companies flocked to Texas in the last seven years, as Republicans in charge of the Lone Star state advertised a business-friendly aura with lucrative corporate tax incentives.On Wednesday morning, though, the CEOs of those companies woke up to an unprecedented blue wave whose crests reached deep into Texas, from the Rio Grande Valley to Dallas.Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa, a state representative with a minimal national profile, defeated Gov. Greg Abbott, a prominent Republican running for a fourth term.Hinojosa has signaled that she favors rolling back some of the incentives that lured businesses to the state."I do think we should wipe clean corporate welfare in this state," she said in an October interview with Kut News, a Texas NPR affiliate.On the national stage, Republican Senate candidate and Attorney General Ken Paxton suffered a stunning loss to James Talerico, another state representative, by more than a million votes.The GOP managed to hold onto the state senate, but results were still being tabulated on Wednesday for a handful of competitive state house seats, according to the Associated Press.While Hinojosa and Talerico gleefully bumped drinks at Whataburger on Tuesday night, business leaders were no doubt busy contemplating whether the economic incentives that motivated their move would stay in place."I never expected Texas to turn blue," Jason Calacanis, a tech entrepreneur and influencer, said on X. "I moved here to get away from the left lunacy!" Texas levies no income taxes on private individuals or corporations. Though the state charges a franchise tax on companies that post more than $1 million in revenue, Abbott has signed bills expanding franchise tax exemptions. During her campaign, Hinojosa focused her criticism of tax incentives on data centers.Here are some of the largest companies that moved their operations to Texas in recent years, according to a list compiled by Abbott's office.SpaceXSamsung Electronics AmericaSix Flags Entertainment CorporationDevon EnergyKFC CorporationRealtor.comChevronGordon Ramsay North AmericaLion Real Estate GroupQSAM Biosciences Inc.TeslaXAESOM (Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations, and Management)Charles SchwabJoe Rogan ExperienceEuropean Wax CenterPabst Brewing CompanyOptymOracleCicero Institute8VC Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Truman Dickerson is the Weekend News Fellow at Business Insider, based in New York City. He covers trending tech and business news. He previously reported for The Boston Globe's Express Desk. He graduated from Boston University, where he served as editor in chief of The Daily Free Press, BU's student-run newspaper.Contact him at Tdickerson@insider.com Texas
These big companies moved to red Texas. Now the state's gone blue.
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