In the most surprising victory of the primary runoffs, former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer narrowly defeated longtime politician Annise Parker for the Democratic Party nomination for Harris County judge and will face Orlando Sanchez in November.
Despite Parker coming close to winning outright in the March primary, Plummer held a lead all night Tuesday, starting when early and mail-in ballots were counted, prompting Parker to blame the defeat on low turnout. At around 3 a.m. Wednesday, after all votes were tallied, Plummer posted on social media, “We won!!”
The victory is a huge one for progressives who expressed concern that Parker would “govern like a Republican” and was too close to Mayor John Whitmire and former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, both of whom have been admonished by the Democratic Party.
Plummer, a dentist and former Houston City Council member, secured 51.13 percent of the vote, winning by just 2,542 ballots, according to unofficial results from the Harris County Elections Office.
Sanchez, a former council member and county treasurer, won the GOP nomination over insurance businessman Warren Howell, securing 63.33 percent of the vote. County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, opted not to seek a third term and issued a scathing public statement against Parker.
Plummer’s supporters made a hard push in the final days before the runoff, drawing attention to a statement Parker made in support of the state takeover of Houston ISD and questioning whether Parker is a “true progressive,” willing to battle Gov. Greg Abbott when it comes to what they perceive as overreach related to immigration policies, separation of church and state, and rainbow crosswalks.
Parker said she’s proven her allegiance to the Democratic Party and doesn’t want to waste time infighting with colleagues when she could be taking on Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and President Donald Trump. Parker has also pointed to her 18 years of “stable, responsible, drama-free leadership” as a city council member, city controller and mayor.
Harris County has, in the past, elected judges from both parties. Republican Jon Lindsay was the county judge for almost two decades beginning in 1975. He was succeeded by Ed Emmett, another Republican, who was defeated by Hidalgo in 2018.
When she was elected, Hidalgo was the first woman and first Latina to hold the office. Harris County Commissioners Court is currently composed of four Democrats — the judge and commissioners Lesley Briones, Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia — and Republican Tom Ramsey.
In an interview with the Houston Press earlier this month, Plummer said it’s vital for Harris County to have someone at the helm with recent leadership experience and the drive to push back against government overreach. “We need someone with enough lived experience to handle all the stresses but also someone who knows what people are feeling,” she said. “I’ve been on the ground recently with all the storms. My opponent has been gone for 10 years.”
According to Sanchez’s website, his priorities are lowering property taxes, reducing crime and stopping future flooding.
In a public statement Tuesday evening, Sanchez said he was honored to be chosen as the Republican nominee. “Harris County is my home,” he said. “I have dedicated years of my life serving this community, and tonight only gives me more energy and determination to keep fighting for all of you. But this is not the finish line. This is the start of the next chapter. Now we come together and move toward November united, focused, and ready to win.”
University of Houston political science lecturer Nancy Sims said that although some Democrats and independent voters soured on Hidalgo during her second term — three of the four commissioners voted to censure her after a public outburst over early childhood programs and Ramsey called for her resignation after she made a scene over special access at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — people won’t necessarily hold that against the party.
“I don’t think people affiliate her with the party,” Sims said. “I think they see her individually. Harris County is basically purple. In the last countywide election in ‘24, you had nine Republican judges elected countywide, and that tipped the strong Democratic advantage away and you had very narrow victories in countywide races.”
Abbott has pledged to spend $25 million to turn Harris County “dark red,” and Sims said it will be interesting to see how that plays out. It could affect countywide races, including judge, commissioners, county clerk and district clerk, she said.
Could a Republican win the county judge’s race in November? It’s possible, according to political watchdogs, but Sanchez may not be the GOP’s strongest hope. He’s run for office 14 times, including two unsuccessful bids for Houston mayor in 2001 and 2003 and two runs for city controller in 2019 and 2023.
Sanchez does, however, have the support of the governor’s office. Abbott posted on social media Tuesday evening, congratulating Sanchez on his runoff victory. “Orlando Sanchez WINS!” Abbott wrote. “Together, we will turn Harris County red!”
