Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Democrat Letitia Plummer and Republican Orlando Sanchez face off in a debate presented by Houston Public Media on Oct. 22, 2026.
The two candidates for Harris County judge faced off Thursday evening in a debate, tackling issues from immigration and public safety to administrative issues and the future of the Astrodome.
The debate, presented by Houston Public Media and in partnership with the Houston Chronicle, N+ Univision 45, and the University of Houston’s Hobby School for Public Affairs, brought Republican Orlando Sanchez and Democrat Letitia Plummer head-to-head just before election day on Nov. 3.
“As a dentist by trade, I understand the challenges in healthcare,” Plummer said in her opening remarks. “As a single mom, I know the challenges that many of us are experiencing, taking care of our families and our children. And being able to spend six natural disasters and our first pandemic with many of you, I know what we need to do to make sure that Harris County moves in a direction where every single person has the opportunity to thrive.”
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“Back when the county was chock full of money, we had money in the Rainy Day Fund, the county had not raised the property tax rate in 25 years,” Sanchez said in his opening statement. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen the tax rate rise precipitously here in Harris County over the last eight years — 60%, and just in the last 36 months by 41%. To me, it’s intellectual dishonesty when you talk about affordability, and you hammer those who can least afford it.”
Harris County and ICE
Both of the candidates came to something of an early agreement when they stated that county law enforcement officials should not be required to act as immigration officers in partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Sanchez, who immigrated as a child from Cuba with his family, said he was “very sensitive” to the issue of immigration enforcement in Harris County. He recounted a story in which his mother was pulled over by a constable and asked her citizenship status, which Sanchez called “unacceptable.”
“I don’t believe that our local law enforcement should be used as ICE agents in Harris County,” Sanchez said. “Their first duty is to provide for the public safety of our citizens. Now, we do have an issue here in the United States with ICE that needs to be resolved by the federal government through legislation in Congress.”
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Democratic Harris County judge candidate Letitia Plummer at a Houston Public Media debate on Oct. 22, 2026.
Plummer, by contrast, said the issue was more local than national policy. The Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 8 last year, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, requiring every county sheriff in the state to enter into an agreement with ICE under a federal guideline commonly referred to as a 287(g) agreement, named for a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act enacted by the federal government in 1952.
“It’s an unfunded mandate,” Plummer said. “We will be responsible for all of the administrative costs that are associated with 287(g). When I am your county judge, I am going to make sure that line item is not there. We have to take a bold action to make sure that we protect our immigrant communities.”
Flock cameras and data centers
Harris County currently holds a contract with Flock, a controversial surveillance company that uses automated license plate readers. Incumbent Judge Lina Hidalgo has called for the county to reassess its contract. Commissioner Lesley Briones decommissioned the Flock cameras in her precinct.
As the contract currently stands, Plummer stated she did not support it.
“Right now, with the contract the way that it is, I will rescind it immediately,” she said. “As your county judge, we’re going to have to make sure that when we bring any AI technology in, although we understand it’s necessary to assist with public safety issues, we cannot do it against the privacy of our residents.”
Sanchez, in turn, declined to take one side or another on the issue, saying he would not have a “knee-jerk reaction to the Flock cameras.”
“There are benefits, and there are detriments for those that are public privacy advocates,” he said. “I will analyze both of those, and we will make a decision. The commissioner’s court decided to institute them. I can’t tell you if we will keep them or not.”
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Republican Harris County judge candidate Orlando Sanchez at a Houston Public Media debate on Oct. 22, 2026.
Sanchez also downplayed concerns over the possibility of data centers in Harris County, saying that “unlike the City of Houston, we don’t control what develops in the county.”
“To the extent that they do [come to Harris County], they have to provide their own power generation,” he said. “And it is my understanding that the new technology for data centers actually do recycle the water used for cooling. But I can tell you, it’s highly unlikely that Harris County will experience an explosion of data centers being developed in Harris County.”
Plummer said that, if elected, she would similarly push for minimizing any impacts data centers have on residents’ electrical bills.
“They have to be independent,” she said. “They have to use their own water source, their own electricity. … I will do everything in my power to make sure that data centers do not come in our area unless we have some very clear guidelines and policies in place.”
Harris County and the world around it
One topic both candidates turned to repeatedly was expanding the relationship that Harris County has with other governmental bodies, at both the local and state levels. But Plummer and Sanchez differed on how that looked in practice.
Sanchez argued that Harris County has squandered some of its relationships, losing out on funding opportunities because of it.
“You have to have a professional relationship,” he said. “You cannot constantly be attacking the governor, whomever that may be from whatever party, because you’re not going to get the attention that you need.”
Plummer criticized the state government for exerting authority over Harris County, citing the removal of rainbow crosswalks from Montrose and the state takeover of Houston ISD as examples. In an effort to offset costs on the county, she did call for working more closely with the city government in general — and Houston Mayor John Whitmire in particular.
“Currently, there is no relationship with Mayor Whitmire,” she said. “The county is not engaging with the city at all. I believe that is a misstep. We need to engage and collaborate to make sure that we are all working together in one step, in one direction.”
Managing the Harris County jail
Another point of agreement between the two was the future of the Harris County jail. Sanchez said it was in dire need of overhauling. Plummer called it “a deplorable place.” Both agreed that the county was in need of a new criminal justice center.
“I don’t believe that if you’re detained for an alleged violation of the penal code, that that should be a death sentence inside the Harris County jail,” Sanchez said. “Number one, so that needs to be cleaned up. Number two, we need to expedite the adjudication of those that are charged with a criminal violation, so, if they’re convicted, they can be moved swiftly out of the Harris County jail into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Number three, we should not use the Harris County jail as a mental health institute for those suffering from behavioral mental health issues.”
Sanchez proposed developing an entirely new criminal justice center north of downtown, away from the central business district, which would also have a mental health facility. Plummer called for creating a brand new jail in the exact same location as the current one.
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Democrat Letitia Plummer and Republican Orlando Sanchez face off in a debate presented by Houston Public Media on Oct. 22, 2026.
“Folks that are there, they have a connection with family, and if you move it out into a space in which people cannot get there, that is going to affect the mental capacity of the person that’s there,” she said.
She also called for expanding opportunities for rehabilitating inmates when they live the criminal justice system, including pathways for them to enter the workforce or earn GEDs or apprenticeships.
The future of the Astrodome
One of the most notable moments of the debate came not from issues of immigration or public safety, but rather from when the two nominees were asked about the future of the Astrodome.
“Right now, I am supporting imploding the Astrodome,” Plummer said. “Just because I do not think that it is serving us value right now, and I’m definitely not going to use our taxpayers’ dollars to renovate it.”
Neither Plummer nor Sanchez expressed an affinity for keeping the Eighth Wonder of the World, of which the county has oversight. Both of them agreed that the building has historic value but argued that it falls well below other priorities when the county’s budget shortfall is taken into consideration.
“I am, again, not going to take a knee-jerk reaction,” Sanchez said. “Again, it’s not a priority. We cannot and will not issue general obligation bonds, which are guaranteed by the homeowners of Harris County, and I don’t think that we should issue revenue bonds for the Astrodome. If a private developer and [Astrodome Conservancy board chair Phoebe] Tudor can step up, as Ross Perot said, I’m all ears.”
One final dig
In her final comments, Letitia Plummer called to attention issues of affordability and ICE involvement in Harris County.
“It is our job to protect you,” she said. “It’s our job to give you the healthcare access that you need, and make sure that every time it rains, you do not flood.”
In the final words of his own closing remarks, Orlando Sanchez took a jab at Plummer, one of his only direct criticisms of the night.
“Right now, my opponent, Miss Plummer, has been sanctioned three times by the Texas Dental Board,” he said. “And so the question I have is: If our patients can’t trust her, how do we trust her with the public dollars in Harris County?”
Texas Dental Board records indicate Plummer has twice faced disciplinary actions: once in 2012 and more recently in 2022. The more recent disciplinary action regarded patients with whom Plummer did not diagnose tooth issues, one of whom she overcharged. Plummer settled with the board, agreeing to pay a $4,000 fine, enrolling in educational courses, and being placed on a two year probation, according to Dental board records.
Representatives from Plummer’s campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Early voting for Harris County judge is underway. Early voting will continue through Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Below are the early voting hours and locations.
Oct. 19-24 — 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25 — 12 p.m.-7 p.m.
Oct. 26-30 — 7 a.m.- 7 p.m.
The list of all 75 locations can be found on the Harris County Clerk’s website.
On Election Day, the county plans to have over 600 polling locations open across the county.