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Harris County Judge candidate Letitia Plummer introduces Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa talks to supporters at the Eldorado Ballroom in Houston on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth Conley\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Jasmine\u00a0Crockett has pledged for months to help Democrats this November by getting involved in lesser-publicized downballot races.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The former U.S. Senate hopeful appears to now be making good on that promise, announcing a slate of endorsements this month, including Letitia Plummer, the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Crockett doesn\u2019t plan to campaign for the party\u2019s Senate nominee and her former foe<\/a>, James Talarico, her local endorsements could go a long way in helping him and other statewide candidates generate the kind of mass turnout they\u2019ll need to overcome decades of GOP dominance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n PREVIOUS: Letitia Plummer promises to crackdown on county Flock use, Orlando Sanchez says that’s premature<\/a><\/p>\n Crockett\u2019s support could especially help shore up support from a portion of Black voters \u2014 a longtime cornerstone of Democrats\u2019 coalition.\u00a0<\/p>\n An August poll<\/a> conducted by Texas Southern University found that a majority of Black voters surveyed felt the Democratic Party had at least somewhat taken their support for granted. Michael Adams, a political scientist at TSU, described Crockett\u2019s strategy as a kind of \u201creverse political coattails\u201d that could help ease some of the tension that\u2019s bubbled in the wake of her primary defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome people may call it sour grapes. What she’s suggesting is the opposite,\u201d Adams said. \u201cIn Harris County, which is one of the largest reservoirs of Democratic votes, if Jasmine Crockett can increase the turnout of Democrats here, It certainly will help Talarico.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Crockett has said she plans to campaign for Plummer, as well as two other Black Democratic county judge candidates, but has yet to outline what that will look like on the ground. She did not respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n To really turn out voters, Crockett will need to take the same grassroots approach to mobilizing voters that saw her appearing everywhere from churches to inner-city clubs during the primaries, said Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston. Appearing alongside Plummer\u2019s image on mailers and promotional images will only go so far.<\/p>\n Sims said she also expects to see a more concentrated effort from the Talarico campaign to continue its efforts to appeal to Black voters directly. Talarico is expected to appear Sunday at a TSU rally in Houston\u2019s Third Ward.<\/p>\n Democrats have just over a month before early voting begins to try and win as many votes as possible. With no Black candidates running statewide, the community\u2019s trust will hinge on local races, Adams said.\u00a0<\/p>\n RATE HIKE: Harris County judge nominees Letitia Plummer, Orlando Sanchez blast proposed property tax increase<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas hasn\u2019t had a Democratic senator since the early \u201890s, and Talarico will need all the support he can get if he hopes to win in November, said Carroll Robinson, an associate professor at TSU and former Houston City Council member.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor a statewide Democrat, you need strong Black voter turnout and strong Democratic turnout in Harris County,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cEverything is lined up for Talarico \u2014 especially now that you put the icing on the cake with Jasmine traveling the state helping Black down-ballot candidates and other local Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris County accounts for more than 13%<\/a> of the state\u2019s 18.7 million voters<\/a>. With 2.6 million registered voters, even small shifts in the county\u2019s turnout can produce measurable results for candidates running in statewide elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the county, which was previously Republican-led, is not a given for Democrats. Republicans have made inroads toward winning back control in recent years, flipping several judicial seats in 2024 and threatening to oust Democratic incumbents.\u00a0<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee was twice elected Harris County attorney before taking his seat in congress. Swept into office with a 10-point margin in 2020, that gap closed to just over 1% in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n That shrinking win margin was almost identical in the race for district attorney and several other key races. Kamala Harris, however, took the county with a five-point margin. The difference highlights Democrats\u2019 tendency to skip down-ballot races, Robinson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n