Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee finished well ahead of challenger Umeka "U.A.' Lewis in the Democratic primary for the Harris County Attorney post with 69.94 percent of the votes to Lewis's 30.06 percent.

In November, Menefee will run against Republican nominee Jacqueline Lucci Smith, who is running unopposed in the race for Harris County Attorney, in November's general election. Smith served as a Harris County Civil Court judge from 2007 to 2012.

Smith was also an operational director at the Harris County Tax Office under current state Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) and his legal counsel while working at the Harris County Attorney's office before opening her law firm in 2013.

Menefee has described the campaign for reelection as tumultuous, as it was a more competitive primary than typically seen. However, he said that this was a testament to how Harris County is trending blue — becoming more Democratic.

"The bluer we get, the more internal fights we’re going to see. I think ultimately it is good for democracy," Menefee said. "I’m just happy it’s [almost] over.”

The incumbent announced his re-election bid early, wanting to ensure Harris County voters of his intentions to run and represent them again. Menefee was elected in 2020, becoming the first black Harris County attorney and the youngest ever to serve in this role.

He has gone on to deliver on many of his initial campaign promises, including protecting the public from environmental dangers by actively involving Harris County in litigation against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Menefee has called on the need for additional regulations regarding concrete batch plants and worked to get the federal government to participate in testing and potential clean-up of creosote contamination in Fifth Ward.

The county attorney has also gone to bat for Harris County residents over local control versus state interference. He said he would continue to fight this battle if needed during his second term.

“I think we can expect to see more attacks on Harris County, our governance, our budget, and also voting rights and so we’re going to stand firm on the voting rights issues," Menefee said. "The more the Legislature passes laws to try to roll back our rights, the more we will be on court over it.”

Lewis is a civil rights, personal injury lawyer and criminal defense attorney with 13 years of experience who specializes in cases involving constitutional violations by government actors — usually law enforcement agencies — wrongful prosecution, false imprisonment or wrongful death.

Lewis also did pro bono work regarding retaliatory and fraudulent evictions. She advocated for ending qualified immunity or using legal immunity that protects law enforcement from litigation, citing an official's violation of an individual's rights.