Letitia Plummer campaign
Harris County judge candidate Letitia Plummer celebrates at a campaign event on March 3, 2026.
Letitia Plummer upset Annise Parker in the Democratic primary runoff for Harris County judge on Tuesday, while Orlando Sanchez coasted to a big win against Warren Howell in the Republican race.
Plummer and Sanchez, both former Houston City Council members, advance to November’s general election to decide who will succeed Democrat Lina Hidalgo as county judge, a position that presides over a five-member commissioners court.
Plummer, who resigned from the city council to run for county judge, received 51.1% of the vote compared to 48.9% for Parker, the former Houston mayor. Plummer won by 2,542 votes in a race in which nearly 113,000 ballots were cast, according to results from the Harris County Clerk’s Office.
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Sanchez, who also has served as county treasurer, won 63.3% of the vote in the Republican primary runoff against Howell, a U.S. Air Force veteran.
RELATED: Texas primary election runoff results 2026
Democratic race
Parker led the first round of primary voting in March with 46.6% of the vote compared to 37.3% for Plummer, and a recent poll by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs showed her with an 18-percentage point lead over Plummer in the runoff. Parker’s support was buoyed by likely Latino voters and independents, the poll found, while Plummer held a sizable advantage among likely Black voters.
Plummer campaigned on plans to reduce recidivism in the Harris County Jail and halt county property tax increases. She also said she wanted to establish stronger ties between county and city leadership and “tighten the belt” by looking at where the most money is being spent.
Parker, meanwhile, campaigned on making Harris County more affordable through policies to reduce the cost of living and establishing a workforce program to give preferences to local firms that participate in apprenticeship programs. As Houston’s 61st mayor, Parker cut city spending in the wake of the 2008 recession and led comprehensive initiatives to fix city streets and establish anti-discrimination protections.
Sarah Grunau/ Houston Public Media
Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker announced her bid for Harris County Judge on June 11, 2025.
Plummer will now try to win in November for the opportunity to succeed Hidalgo — who became the first woman and first Latina to serve as county judge after she was first elected in 2018. Hidalgo has found herself in various public feuds with her Democratic colleagues over the years and announced in September that she would not seek a third term.
Hidalgo, who has refrained from putting her name behind either Democratic candidate for her position, has been critical of Parker, referring to the former mayor as “Kim Ogg 2.0” in a social media post last year. Ogg previously served as the district attorney as a Democrat and has openly called for more GOP leadership in Harris County.
Republican race
Dominic Walsh/HPM
Orlando Sanchez at Picos in Upper Kirby on March 3, 2026.
Sanchez, who’s raised more than $113,000 in his campaign, established himself in his bid for county judge as an experienced conservative politician, vowing to slash property tax rates and prioritize public safety. His campaign was backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston and Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey.
Howell, who advanced to the runoff by placing second in a six-candidate field in March, appeared to front a conservative grassroots campaign for the seat. His campaign website detailed a proposal to create a “wall of shame” webpage to highlight commissioner precincts with the most potholes, along with a plan to contract with artificial intelligence companies to streamline county operations and contracts.
The general election to determine the next Harris County judge will be held on Nov. 6.
In the meantime, county budgeters are projecting a $129 million shortfall heading into the 2027 fiscal year, according to a recent presentation during commissioners court. The projected deficit was exacerbated by law enforcement pay raises last year and rising inflationary costs.