A surreal moment: Gov. Greg Abbott has taken the stage at his watch party to concede. He opens by saying "it has been the joy of my life" to serve as governor. He has occupied the governor's mansion since 2015 and won all three of his prior gubernatorial races by double-digit margins. He confirms that he called Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, to concede.

Jasper Scherer is the politics editor for The Texas Tribune. He oversees a team of reporters in Austin and Washington who lead the newsroom’s coverage of campaigns and elections, watchdog Texas' top...