2026 Harris County Judge election
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Texas local election
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November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Harris County Judge election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the county judge of Harris County, Texas. Primary elections were held on March 3, and a primary runoff election will be held on May 26. Incumbent Democratic judge Lina Hidalgo is not running for re-election.[1]
Democratic primary
[edit ]Candidates
[edit ]Nominee
[edit ]- Letitia Plummer, former Houston city councilor for the at-large district (2020–2025), candidate for Texas's 22nd congressional district in 2018, and candidate for Texas's 18th congressional district in 2024 [2]
Eliminated in runoff
[edit ]- Annise Parker, former mayor of Houston (2010–2016)[3]
Eliminated in primary
[edit ]- Matthew Salazar, business owner[4]
Withdrawn
[edit ]- Erica Lee Carter, former U.S. representative from Texas's 18th congressional district (2024–2025)[5]
Declined
[edit ]- Lina Hidalgo, incumbent judge[6]
Endorsements
[edit ]Annise Parker
- Local officials
- Adrian Garcia, Harris County commissioner from the 2nd precinct (2019–present)[7]
- Labor unions
- UNITE HERE Local 23[8]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Polling
[edit ]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Annise Parker |
Letitia Plummer |
Erica Lee Carter |
Matt Salazar |
Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston [11] | February 3–10, 2026 | 2,000 (LV) | ± 2.19% | 46% | 25% | – | 5% | 24% | |
| September 18, 2025 | Carter withdraws from the race | ||||||||
| Lake Research Partners (D)[12] | July 31 – August 7, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 53% | 15% | 9% | – | 20% | |
Results
[edit ]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Annise Parker | 156,321 | 46.65 | |
| Democratic | Letitia Plummer | 124,936 | 37.28 | |
| Democratic | Matthew Salazar | 53,866 | 16.07 | |
| Total votes | 335,123 | 100.00 | ||
Runoff
[edit ]Polling
[edit ]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Annise Parker |
Letitia Plummer |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston [14] | May 5–9, 2026 | 1,200 (LV) | ± 2.83% | 54% | 36% | 10% |
Results
[edit ]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Letitia Plummer | 57,755 | 51.13 | |
| Democratic | Annise Parker | 55,213 | 48.87 | |
| Total votes | 112,968 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
[edit ]Candidates
[edit ]Nominee
[edit ]- Orlando Sanchez, former county treasurer (2007–2018) and candidate for mayor of Houston in 2001 and 2003 [16]
Eliminated in runoff
[edit ]- Warren Howell, insurance businessman and candidate in 2022[17]
Eliminated in primary
[edit ]- Aliza Dutt, mayor of Piney Point Village (2024–present)[18]
- Oscar Gonzales, former sheriff's deputy and candidate in 2022[19]
- Marty Lancton, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association president[20]
- George Zoes, business owner and candidate in 2022[4]
Endorsements
[edit ]Marty Lancton
- Statewide officials
- Greg Abbott, governor of Texas (2015–present)[21]
- Dawn Buckingham, land commissioner of Texas (2023–present)[22]
- Individuals
- Jim McIngvale, businessman[22]
Orlando Sanchez
- Newspapers
Polling
[edit ]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Aliza Dutt |
Oscar Gonzalez |
Warren Howell |
Marty Lancton |
Orlando Sanchez |
George Zoes |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Houston [11] | February 3–10, 2026 | 2,000 (LV) | ± 2.19% | 7% | 3% | 4% | 10% | 21% | 1% | 54% |
Results
[edit ]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Orlando Sanchez | 47,568 | 26.46 | |
| Republican | Warren Howell | 37,376 | 20.79 | |
| Republican | Marty Lancton | 36,959 | 20.56 | |
| Republican | Aliza Dutt | 33,523 | 18.65 | |
| Republican | Oscar Gonzales | 13,407 | 7.46 | |
| Republican | George Zoes | 10,913 | 6.07 | |
| Total votes | 179,746 | 100.00 | ||
Runoff
[edit ]Results
[edit ]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Orlando Sanchez | 85,132 | 63.33 | |
| Republican | Warren Howell | 49,288 | 36.67 | |
| Total votes | 134,420 | 100.00 | ||
General election
[edit ]Results
[edit ]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Letitia Plummer | |||
| Republican | Orlando Sanchez | |||
| Total votes | 100.00 | |||
Notes
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ Lomax V, John (September 15, 2025). "Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says she will not seek reelection to her position in 2026". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Grunau, Sarah (July 8, 2025). "Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer announces run for Harris County Judge". Houston Public Media . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Kumar, Atirikta (June 11, 2025). "Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker announces run for Lina Hidalgo's seat atop Harris County government". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Lomax V, John (December 9, 2025). "Who is running for Harris County judge in 2026? A look at the nine candidates on the campaign trail". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Soebroto, Ashley (September 18, 2025). "Former Congresswoman Erica Lee Carter withdraws bid for Harris County judge". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Serrano, Alejandro (September 16, 2025). "Lina Hidalgo, Harris County chief executive, won't seek reelection". The Texas Tribune . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Commissioner Adrian Garcia endorses Annise Parker for Harris County judge". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Local 23 is proud to announce our endorsement of Annise Parker for Harris County Judge". Facebook. UNITE HERE Local 23. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ LeDonne, Sarah. "LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Endorses 13 Candidates in 2025 & 2026 Races". LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Democrats should pick Annise Parker for Harris County Judge". Houston Chronicle. January 22, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ a b Cross, Renée; Jones, Parker. "Harris County Primaries 2026 Democratic & Republican Countywide Races" (PDF). University of Houston . Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ^ "Polling (July to August)" (PDF). Lake Research Partners. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Harris County, Texas Primary Election 3/3/2026 Democratic Party" (PDF). Harris County County Clerk. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "Harris County Democratic Primary Runoff Elections 2026" (PDF). University of Houston . Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "Primary Runoff Elections" (PDF). May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ^ Adkison, Michael (September 23, 2025). "Republican Orlando Sanchez, former county treasurer and city council member, running for Harris County judge". Houston Public Media . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Brittany (July 10, 2025). "LIST: Who is running for Harris County Judge in 2026?". KPRC-TV . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Lomax V, John (May 21, 2025). "Piney Point Village mayor announces intent to run for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's seat". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Garza, Julissa (September 16, 2025). "Harris County politics heating up with Hidalgo's decision and more on the ballot". KHOU . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ Grunau, Sarah (August 20, 2025). "Firefighters union leader Marty Lancton running for Harris County Judge, backed by notable GOP figures". Houston Public Media . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Political Roundup for December 26, 2025". December 26, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ a b Grunau, Sarah (August 20, 2025). "Firefighters union leader Marty Lancton running for Harris County Judge, backed by notable GOP figures". Houston Public Media . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Orlando Sanchez would bring experience and vision as GOP pick for Harris County Judge". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ^ "Harris County, Texas Primary Election 3/3/2026 Republican Party" (PDF). Harris County County Clerk. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "Primary Runoff Elections" (PDF). May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
External links
[edit ]- Official campaign websites