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Lucio Vasquez \/ Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks during a news conference in July 2021.<\/p>\n
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo\u2019s admonishment of a top candidate vying for her seat could reflect a contentious shift in the county\u2019s Democratic Party. <\/p>\n
Her comments opposing former Houston Mayor Annise Parker\u2019s bid for county judge come on the heels of top Texas Republicans vowing to turn the state\u2019s largest county red, and after Hidalgo said in a series of press conferences she would refrain from endorsing a candidate for her job. Hidalgo, a Democrat, announced in September that she wouldn\u2019t seek reelection next year<\/a>, and her two-term stint as the county’s top elected official will end in December 2026.<\/p>\n Parker, who was favored in a recent survey<\/a> for the position in next year\u2019s Democratic primary election, was the subject of a social media post by Hidalgo on Tuesday in which she was referred to as \u201cKim Ogg 2.0.\u201d Kim Ogg previously served as the district attorney and has openly called for more GOP leadership<\/a> in Harris County.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Hidalgo overall received the lowest net-approval rating based on job performance of any elected Harris County official included in the survey \u2014 including all county commissioners, District Attorney Sean Teare, and acting County Attorney Christian Menefee.<\/p>\n In an interview with Hello Houston on Wednesday, Hidalgo elevated her condemnation of Parker by suggesting her political beliefs fail to align with the Democratic Party. She said Parker supported the state takeover of the Houston Independent School District and endorsed Ogg. Ogg pushed back in a statement of her own<\/a>, calling Hidalgo\u2019s remarks reflective of her tumultuous tenure as county judge. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to run as a Democrat in a Democratic primary, you need to be a Democrat,\u201d Hidalgo said Wednesday. \u201cMy perspective is, the reason so many people don\u2019t vote, the reason so many people are apathetic when it comes to politics, is because they vote for something and they get something else.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement responding to Hidalgo\u2019s claims, Parker said her record of public service speaks for itself. <\/p>\n \u201cThese questions have all been asked and answered,\u201d Parker said. \u201cI\u2019m running to fight Donald Trump and Greg Abbott, not to engage in Democratic infighting.\u201d <\/p>\n Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer \u2014 who is also running for county judge \u2014 is trailing behind Parker, according to the recent survey. Hidalgo, who previously pledged to stay out of the county judge\u2019s race, said on Wednesday she is planning to meet with Plummer before deciding whether to endorse her for the position.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Plummer told Houston Public Media that Hidalgo raised critical concerns that Harris County Democratic primary voters must hear, and that Parker represents a \u201cbygone era of dealmaking and power consolidation that has failed our families.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhile she plays political chess with her insider network, our neighborhoods struggle with crime, our infrastructure crumbles, and working families fall further behind,\u201d Plummer said. \u201cThis election is about the next decade, not the last one.\u201d <\/p>\n While three Democrats have entered the county judge\u2019s race, six Republicans \u2014 including Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton and former Harris County treasurer Orlando Sanchez \u2014 are also vying for the position. The seat was held by a Republican until Hidalgo upset Ed Emmett in 2018. <\/p>\n Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said the political infighting represents an identity crisis in Harris County\u2019s Democratic Party. The conflict also came a few days after Houston Mayor John Whitmire\u2019s political party of more than five decades admonished him by barring the lifelong Democrat<\/a> from receiving its endorsement in the future. The resolution received last-minute support from Hidalgo<\/p>\n The region\u2019s top Democrats have repeatedly clashed, and on Wednesday, Hidalgo suggested that Parker and Whitmire share a \u201cconsistent pettiness.\u201d <\/p>\n