ORLANDO SANCHEZ (11/6/01) Orlando Sanchez greets his supporters at the Rice Hotel, Tuesday night, as he declares himself and Lee Brown in a mayoral runoff. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/07/2001): City Councilman Orlando Sanchez greets supporters Tuesday night at The Rice Lofts after it became apparent his strong showing had propelled him into a runoff with Mayor Lee Brown. ELECTION 2001. HOUCHRON CAPTION (11/15/2001): Sanchez. (Photo by Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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Days after Letitia Plummer rocketed from relative obscurity to political headline status with a major runoff upset, attention is now shifting to the other half of the Harris County judge race—Orlando Sanchez… and for some voters, the reaction is simple: who?
Former Houston City Council member and Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez is running for Harris County judge
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Sanchez, who quietly dominated his GOP runoff with more than 60 percent of the vote, is now stepping into the spotlight against Plummer, one of Houston politics’ newer breakout names.
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The matchup sets up a competitive November race—and a contrast between fresh political buzz and a longtime local figure many voters may not immediately recognize.
From Havana to Houston politics
Born in Havana, Cuba, Sanchez and his family first came to Houston in 1962, according to early Houston Chronicle reports, after his father was recruited by the Colt.45s—the baseball team that later became the Houston Astros—to do their Spanish-language radio broadcasts.
Sanchez graduated from Houston ISD’s Bellaire High School in 1976 before joining the Air Force and earning a political science degree from the University of Houston. Employment records cited in a previous Chronicle article reveal Sanchez worked as a Harris County probation officer for three years but supervisors complained about his work performance during unsuccessful bids for the state legislature in 1992 and City Council in 1993.
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City Hall, mayoral runs, and countywide office
In 1995, Sanchez was elected to Houston City Council’s at-large position 3, which he held for three terms until 2001 to run for mayor. He launched two bids for Houston mayor and advanced to runoff elections both times before ultimately losing to Lee P. Brown and Bill White, respectively.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 21: Candidate for at-large position 4 Letitia Plummer speaks during a forum for At-Large Candidates at Acres Homes Multi Service Center on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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In 2006, Sanchez made history as the first Latino immigrant elected to a countywide nonjudicial office in Harris County. However, according to a 2006 article from the Chronicle, Harris County Commissioners were weighing whether to abolish the treasurer’s office, as Texas and several counties the treasurer’s office abolished theirs because it was seen as “obsolete and redundant.”
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Sanchez held the position until losing his third reelection bid in 2018. Though the office carried a relatively low public profile, it also offered limited opportunities for broader political visibility and seemed less likely to provide much of a political stepping stone. This was demonstrated after an unsuccessful campaign for Houston Comptroller in 2019. Regardless, during his tenure, Sanchez oversaw several of the county’s bank accounts, paid expenses and oversaw taxpayer dollars and won several transparency awards for his work.
Controversy and a quiet exit from politics
One of Sanchez’s final major public appearances before leaving office drew controversy when he held a press conference outside HISD’s administrative building, calling on the Texas Education Agency to take control of Houston schools.
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“Taxpayers are fed up and it’s time for the governor and the Texas Education Agency to step up and make sure that children in HISD, of whom 83 percent are minority, get an education,” Sanchez said during the conference.
11/02/03–Mayoral candidate Orlando Sanchez greets 2 year old Abe Gray during a “block walking” stint in Clear Lake on the last Sunday before the election. Abe was in a boat with his father Marty Gray who was doing maintnence on his boat. Behind Sanchez is campaign volunteer Stephanie Moran. Photo by Steve Campbell (Photo by Steve Campbell/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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KHOU 11 reported how Sanchez was met with strong criticism from parents and educators who changed “Shame,” and “You got voted out” and one protester even dumped water on his head.
Since leaving office, Sanchez largely stepped away from elected politics before resurfacing this year in the race for Harris County judge. Under his current bid, Sanchez reminded residents of his experience in balancing the budget and vows on his website to “clean up the mess created by courthouse liberals” and “restore sanity to Harris County government on DAY ONE.”
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Sanchez’s campaign team did not respond to Chron’s requests for comment or an interview.