Houston City Council member district C, Abbie Kamin, speaks as Houstonians gathered at City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2025 to show support for Ukraine during a rally commemorating the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
Kirk Sides/Staff photographer
Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin is seen with tears during recess of the city council meeting and following the news of former Mayor Sylvester Turner’s passing at City Hall in Houston, Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle
Harris County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 Thursday to appoint Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin as county attorney.
Kamin will be the third county attorney to lead the office in less than a year. U.S. Rep Christian Menefee, D-Houston, vacated the office to run for Congress. Commissioners then appointed his deputy, Jonathan Fombonne, to the position; Fombonne is not seeking elected office.
Kamin’s appointment takes effect June 15, meaning she will continue to represent Houston’s District C until after the May 16 runoff.
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The move grants Kamin an advantage in the November election, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.
“This isn’t a situation where they’re taking the selection out of the hands of the voters,” he said. “That said, there’s clearly an advantage for her to be in office before the election, because she can speak very clearly about the kind of goals that she’s been pursuing and how aggressively she’s been fighting.”
Although Rottinghaus said commissioners were effectively “putting their finger on the scale” of the November election by appointing Kamin, he said partisan appointments are common on both sides of the aisle. He pointed to the recent appointment of Daniel Wong, the Republican nominee for Fort Bend County judge, to that position. His predecessor KP George was removed from office by a judge after allegations of misconduct.
Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Judge Lina Hidalgo voted against Kamin’s appointment. Hidalgo said she did not feel comfortable appointing someone actively running for the position, as was done in Fort Bend County.
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“Part of me thinks: ‘Well, this is this gives an unfair advantage to the candidate of one party.’ It happens to be the Democratic Party. The other way to look at it is, well, if the Republican Party does it and the Democrats don’t do it, then we’re sort of chumps,” Hidalgo said. “I was just so appalled when I read the news about Fort Bend, and it doesn’t feel right for me to do the same thing that so appalled me.”
Ramsey said Kamin’s appointment lacked transparency and that his office was not made aware of the plan until just days prior to the meeting. The move also sparked criticism from Jacqueline Lucci Smith, Kamin’s Republican opponent.
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“The County Attorney’s Office exists to serve the people of Harris County, not to protect political agendas or provide an advantage in an upcoming election,” Smith said in a post on social media. “Harris County deserves leadership that is accountable to voters, not appointed to avoid them.”
Harris County residents deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for the law; not backroom political maneuvering.
There are growing reports that Commissioners Court may attempt to appoint my opponent as County Attorney, placing her in office without a vote of the… pic.twitter.com/8wWAjClrIw
— Jacqueline Lucci Smith (@Smith4HarrisCty) April 15, 2026
Kamin has not appeared as an attorney of record in Harris County or federal courts, records show.
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The District C council member has had her eye on becoming the county’s top civil litigator since at least late 2025. Kamin collected a list of nearly 60 elected officials who supported her appointment to the position in November. But Commissioner Rodney Ellis said at the time that appointing her prior to the March primary would tip the scales in her favor over her Democratic opponent.
“I will fight for all of our families as fiercely as I fight for my own with everything I’ve got,” Kamin said. “I’m grateful to each of you.”
The Harris County attorney is the civil counterpart to the district attorney, who litigates criminal offenses. The office represents county employees and office holders in civil court, advises commissioners on legal matters and leads cases against individuals and organizations that violate civil law.
Fombonne will remain in office until Kamin assumes the position in June. The November election will decide who fills the remainder of Menefee’s term, which expires in 2028.
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Commissioners thanked Fombonne for leading the office following Menefee’s resignation. Commissioner Lesley Briones said Kamin is the first woman to serve as Harris County attorney.
— Nicole Hensley contributed to this report.