Can a county official with a boatload of baggage and relatively low name ID get re-elected in November?
It’s certainly possible.
Since Carla Wyatt was elected Harris County treasurer in 2023, she’s had two drunk-driving arrests, a burglary charge that was later dismissed and a pending case alleging she caused a four-car pileup on Interstate 45.
Some might think that Wyatt would sit out the November election and pursue another employment opportunity, but that’s not the case. She’s on the ballot seeking another two-year term and she also brazenly asked in August for a salary increase from $139,547 to $305,000.
Harris County’s Salary Grievance Committee instead recommended a 30 percent raise, which would have hiked Wyatt’s salary to $181,411. Commissioners Court denied the recommendation last month. The court had already voted in February 4-0 to prioritize abolishing the treasurer’s office as part of its legislative agenda in 2027. County Judge Lina Hidalgo was not present for the vote.
The action came after Wyatt’s office approved two fraudulent checks totaling nearly $53,000. The funds were recovered, but the incident prompted commissioners to move key fraud-prevention duties out of the treasurer’s office and into the Office of Management and Budget.
Texas Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, has said that if Wyatt is re-elected, “it will effectively be a signal for removal.” Tarrant, Bexar, Collin and El Paso counties have all eliminated the treasurer’s office in recent years.
The Harris County Treasurer’s Office is similar to a comptroller or controller, responsible for managing bank accounts and public money. It handles the receipt, disbursement and deposit of county funds and keeps records of how money is spent.
Wyatt did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment on Monday. She previously told the Houston Chronicle editorial board that “car accidents happen every day” and her legal troubles don’t impact her ability to do her job.
Last week, former Texas House of Representatives candidate Luis la Rotta announced at the Harris County Republican Party headquarters that he filed a petition seeking Wyatt’s removal, citing her arrests and alleged misconduct. Neither La Rotta nor HCRP Chair Cindy Siegel immediately responded to a request for comment.
Despite the possibility that the treasurer’s office could be abolished, some Democrats can’t bring themselves to vote for Wyatt’s Republican challenger, Marc Cowart. Neil Aquino, founder of the Houston Democracy Project, posted on social media this week that he’s still voting for Wyatt.
“Beyond my prevailing apathy with the Harris County treasurer race, if Ms. Wyatt wins, the position may get eliminated,” Aquino said. “If the Republican wins, then there would be a countywide Republican winner outside of a judgeship with a platform for the next four years. I don’t want that and I’m voting for Ms. Wyatt. If she wins, then folks can do whatever they want. We’ve got way bigger concerns than that.”
Others in Democratic social media forums have expressed similar sentiments, saying, “She’s not running for Harris County Uber driver.”
Harris County Democratic Party Chair Traci Gibson said she’s encouraging members to vote Democrat all the way down the ballot. “We’re telling people to look at where your life is right now. You may not know every Democrat on the ballot, but you know what it’s like to live under the Republican regime,” Gibson said. “We’re telling people that Democrats are going to fight for working people. We’re not letting Republicans bait us into these social issues as they always do. I think every Democrat that’s on the ballot will hold up the Democratic values.”
Cowart could not be reached for comment Tuesday but has publicly criticized Wyatt’s behavior and said that the office should not be abolished.
Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston, said she believes the Democrats will sweep Harris County with the potential exception of a few Republican judges.
“Let’s watch what happens with Carla Wyatt,” Sims said. “This is a very local race with high-profile questionable behavior. Do you think that will make people vote against her? I think she wins, handily.”
Sims added that she feels strongly that the commissioners should not abolish the office of county treasurer. “You don’t abolish an office because of the behavior of a person. If you did, we wouldn’t have any county commissioners,” she said.
A recent poll released by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs showed that a majority of Harris County residents plan to elect Democrats — both countywide and statewide — during the November midterms. While Wyatt’s favorability rating is only 5 percent, 78 percent of those surveyed didn’t know enough about her to have an opinion.
Early voting is underway through October 30. Election Day is November 3.
