The Dallas Morning News fell for it. Gina Hinojosa is the Democrat nominee for Texas governor, running against incumbent Greg Abbott. A Republican who is breaking ranks and voting for Hinojosa, Suzanne Bellsnyder, penned an opinion piece and sent it to the editors of The Dallas Morning News, who decided to run it on the op-ed page on Sunday.
I’m a Republican, but Gina Hinojosa has my vote https://t.co/LXBZfsCFsh https://t.co/N5DFAzut7u
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) November 1, 2026
That got hit with a Community Note:
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Suzanne Bellsnyder's firm received $57,000 in consulting payments from Gina Hinojosa's campaign. DMN later confirmed she is a paid consultant who failed to disclose it and would have declined the piece if aware.
As journalists, isn't it their job to be aware of these things? Sure, they would have declined the piece if only they'd known.
The Hinojosa campaign paid a consultant to pretend to be a Republican and write a misleading commentary. They duped the @dallasnews into publishing it, even though anyone paying attention to Texas politics the last 5 years knew the consultant was not a Republican (she posted pictures having drinks with Hinojosa last session). The Dallas News was shamed into posting a Editor’s Note but hasn’t taken down the piece. The whole thing is dirty and completely unethical, but they’re all just going to get away with it.
— Brian Phillips (@RealBPhil) November 1, 2026
The post continues:
… pictures having drinks with Hinojosa last session). The Dallas News was shamed into posting an Editor’s Note but hasn’t taken down the piece. The whole thing is dirty and completely unethical, but they’re all just going to get away with it.
Sure enough, the piece is still up, with this editor's note:
Editor's note -- Nov. 1, 3pm: After the publication of this column, the author confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that she is a paid consultant of the Hinojosa campaign. She did not disclose this at the time of submission or during the editing process. Our expectation is that readers be aware of all conflicts and potential conflicts. Had we been aware of this conflict, we would have declined to publish this piece. We regret that we were not.
It's not too late to take it down from the website, is it? Bellsnyder writes:
Last spring, I was riding shotgun on a tractor with my dad in the Texas Panhandle when a Democratic legislator from Austin reached out to me on social media.
Gina Hinojosa wanted me to look at a bill she had filed to increase oversight of the Texas Education Agency. Would I, a longtime Republican and former campaign staffer for Gov. Greg Abbott, join her at a news conference to help move it forward?
…
A Democrat born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley reaching out to a rural Republican might seem unusual in today’s political climate. But rural Republicans and Democrats have long found common ground on public education because they understand what their communities stand to lose when public schools struggle. Our kids are the ones who pay for it the most. We need that alliance back.
@dallasnews Amazing editorial disaster for DMN to not disclose her paid consultant relationship with the candidate.
— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews The best time to delete this was before you posted it, the second best time is right now.
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews If she gives me $57k, too, she might get my vote. Probably not, but she's welcome to try.
— Uncultured Purrl (@AmericanPurrl) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews She was paid $57,000 by Gina Hinojosa, you freaking dishonest hacks. https://t.co/0fqSPOtzj0
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 1, 2026
@dallasnews "I'm a Republican, but…" @dallasnews just handed its opinion page to a paid Hinojosa operative and hid it from readers. No disclosure. No shame. Just a campaign ad with a DMN logo on it.
— Andrew Mahaleris (@Mahaleris) November 1, 2026
@dallasnews The author told Current Revolt that the Gina Hinojosa campaign knew she was writing this article for the Dallas Morning News 🚨 https://t.co/yvG4Q9ckg0
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews This same "Republican" paid $57,000 by Gina Hinojosa’s campaign tried to do the same thing during the school choice fight. Her anti-school choice candidate lost by 27 points in 2024. https://t.co/IJb2LMnZgT
— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews The journalistic malpractice here is so egregious, everyone up and down the chain who was responsible for writing and publishing this deserves to be fired and never work in journalism again. It's simply not possible to hate commie journovermin enough.
— CatoTheElder556 (@CElder556) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews Printing this as an opinion piece instead of a campaign ad is sad. The "author" is a paid member of Gina's team. Seems like an important detail DMN chose to overlook.
— A-a-Ron (@aaronh125) November 1, 2026
@dallasnews I subscribe to the DMN. I’m on your email list. I used to follow your Twitter account. I see your content and am familiar with your goals. You’re not going to convince me your decision to run this article written by someone on Hinojosa’s payroll was a mistake. Shameful.
— Dan Edmonson (@dansedmonson) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews Bellsnyder is a Democrat and a paid liar. She was opposed to congressional redistricting in the 89th. The best part about this election is Democrats who pretend to be Republicans are exposing themselves.
— Kristie Rutledge (@KRutledgeTX) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews The media ladies and gentlemen. Lying cheating corrupt propaganda for the Communists. These people would sell their mother their children and their dog if it gave them even a little bit of power.
— Tismyainm 🇺🇸 (@TLCTeresaL) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews LOL. This is hilarious.
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews "I'm a Republican, but...". Everything that comes before "but" is BS. This is no exception. She's a paid consultant for Hinojosa. I can't wait for legacy media to finally die.
— Yinzer Developer (@YinzerDev) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews This is election interference, this is a paid influence operation
— Rob (@RobAustinH) November 2, 2026
@dallasnews The fact you guys are keeping this up "after" learning about how this lady is paid by the Hinojosa campaign proves you always knew she was paid.
— best decade ever (@ZachFOCO) November 2, 2026
It's a paid political ad and a lie. Take it down.
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