Texas governor race: Hinojosa granted access to Abbott's communications with Elon Musk

AUSTIN, Texas - With just one week until Election Day, candidates across Texas are making their final push for votes as a new legal development adds to the closely watched race for governor.

The backstory:

A Travis County judge ruled Monday that Gov. Greg Abbott must allow his Democratic challenger, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, to review more than 1,000 pages of unredacted communications between the governor's office and billionaire Elon Musk.

Hinojosa has been seeking access to the records since September, raising questions about Musk's political contributions to Abbott and his companies' business dealings with the state.

In a video posted to social media, Hinojosa criticized the governor's decision to withhold the communications.

"He denied these, saying they are intimate and embarrassing," Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa also alleged that Abbott redirected a $100 million state contract to a Musk-owned company shortly after Musk contributed $500,000 to Abbott's campaign. Those allegations have not been established by the court's ruling.

The ruling concerns Hinojosa's ability to inspect the records in her capacity as a state legislator and does not automatically require their public release.

The other side:

Abbott's office has appealed the decision, with his attorneys characterizing Hinojosa's legal action as politically motivated.

In response to the ruling, Gov. Greg Abbott's press secretary Andrew Mahaleris released a statement:

"This lawsuit is a baseless stunt and nothing more than an act of desperation. State Representative Gina Hinojosa is abusing her official capacity as an outgoing lawmaker for political purposes. The Office of the Governor’s appeal automatically halts the trial court judge’s order, and the Office has filed a motion to dismiss the baseless lawsuit in its entirety."

Abbott and Paxton campaign together in Wichita Falls

Dig deeper:

While the legal dispute continues, Abbott was back on the campaign trail Monday, joining Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton at a rally in Wichita Falls.

The governor encouraged voters to support Republican candidates across the ballot.

"Are you ready to keep Texas red? Are you gonna vote Republican from the top to bottom?" Abbott told the crowd. "And if you do so, you are going to keep Texas, Texas."

Paxton also criticized his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, portraying his political positions as too liberal for Texas.

Meanwhile, Talarico made a campaign stop in El Paso on Monday, where he criticized Paxton's record and argued that Texans deserve different leadership.

"We are running against the embodiment of this corrupt system," Talarico told supporters. "We are running against the most corrupt politician in Texas."

The Senate contest has drawn national attention as both parties work to turn out voters in the final days of the election.

Trump heads to Corpus Christi, Lubbock

Big picture view:

President Donald Trump is also returning to Texas on Tuesday, October 27, as Republicans make their final campaign push.

Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks in Corpus Christi at 2 p.m., followed by another appearance in Lubbock later in the evening.

The visit comes as candidates across Texas compete for support in statewide and congressional races.

Early voting continues through Friday, October 30, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.