Houston still trails well behind other big cities around the country, many of which experienced a sharper rise in violent crime. In an interview, Mealer acknowledged Trump lost the 2020 election and said that, barring any obvious evidence of impropriety, she would accept the results in November if she loses. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo talks to her supporters at an primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. But the ad could have said "Mealer refuses to oppose Abbott's extreme abortion ban," or even "Texas Republicans support Abbott's extreme abortion ban. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo high-fives a woman in the front row during an abortion rights rally organized by Beto O'Rourke at Discovery Green on Saturday, May 7, 2022 in Houston. Hidalgo's staffers being charged in 2022 with helping . ELECTION CALENDAR DATES. Mealer's tough-on-crime campaign also spotlighted these accusations, framing the 31-year-old incumbent as an adversary of local law enforcement. His statement went on to layout the penalty a class B misdemeanor for failing to meet the deadline. Del Moral Mealer is running in the Republican primary for Harris County Judge. Early voting will begin Monday, October 24, 2022 and will run through. Another well-to-do donor on the list of Mealer supporters is beloved Houston Gallery Furniture salesman Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, who cut televised endorsements for Hidalgo's challenger and would go on to publicly tussle with the judge after her campaign's end. Mealer calls Hidalgo's campaign strategy dishonest and has criticized Hidalgo for focusing on abortion rights, a policy area the county judge has no authority over. Tax Rates. [Tex. Hidalgos stature quickly skyrocketed after the 2018 election, as she developed a passionate following among liberals inspired to see a Colombian immigrant elected at age 27 go toe-to-toe with Republican state leaders and veteran county commissioners. November 8, 2022 General Election & Local Entities Elections. The poll released by the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs shows Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo at 48% among likely . Austin, TX, April 22, 2022 Republicans Vidal Martinez and Alexandra del Moral Mealer have hit the campaign trail in what has become a heated runoff race for a chance to replace Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo as Harris County judge.. Hidalgo's slight edge over Mealer emerged with the results of early and absentee voting, and remained largely the same as the county's tallying process dragged on into the morning. People are looking beyond party lines and looking to the person, and thats the way local politics really should be, Mealer told reporters following the initial results. The board praised her plans to combat violent crime in the county and promises to clear a backlog of criminal cases at the courthouse. County Court at Law Judge Lesley Briones and former Harris County elections staffer Benjamin Chou were leading in that race. He initially joined the paper through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program after covering the same beats for the San Antonio Express-News. For the latest and best fromChron,sign up for our daily newsletter here. Three county jurists County Court at Law Judges Franklin Bynum and David Singer, and Probate Judge Michael Newman also were behind in the early tallies. The result could be a 4-1 Democratic powerhouse, the same 3-2 divide or a shift back to a Republican-controlled court. This 10 percentage point lead by . From attacks by Texas Republicans, charges filed . "Hidalgo continues to be the front-runner, primarily because of the makeup of Harris County in terms of partisanship," Cross said. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Democrat Lina Hidalgo has won a second term for Harris County Judge in a close race for the top executive position in the county. FOX 26 Houston. LIVE UPDATES: 2022 Texas Primary Election Results. In addition to the county judge race, Republican Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle is running against Democrat Lesley Briones, and Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia is in a rematch with Republican Jack Morman, the former commissioner he narrowly ousted four years ago. Hidalgo ( Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Harris County Judge in Texas. Hidalgo enjoyed a small lead in the 2018 early vote, and she performed better on Election Day, growing her lead to secure a 50-to-48 percent victory. The redistricting also cost him familiarity with voters, essentially switching the areas covered by Precincts 3 and 4. The impending takeover of HISD by the TEA dates back to 2019, when Wheatley High School triggered a state law by failing to meet accountability standards for seven consecutive years. Against the newcomer, Hidalgo's campaign appeared unworried about Mealer's prospects and trusted voters would secure her position again. Since July, Republican donors have poured nearly $9 million into Mealer's bid to unseat Hidalgo a staggering haul for a county judge race. Where do the candidates for Hidalgo County Judge stand on the biggest challenges facing colonia residents and the Rio Grande Valley? Fifteen candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge in the upcoming . She's challenging Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo to become the chief executive over county government and head of the Commissioners Court. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo waits to speak to the media after the Harris County Commissioners Court went into executive session Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Houston. A strong gender gap exists in the vote for county judge, with Hidalgo holding a 12% lead over del Moral Mealer among women (52% to 40%), while del Moral Mealer . Harris County commissioner candidate Lesley Briones introduces gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke during a rally outside of the West Gray Recreational Area on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston. She enjoys binge-watching anime and films makeup tutorials in her spare time. A runoff also will be necessary in the wide open Democratic primary for the Precinct 4 seat on Commissioners Court, newly drawn last year to improve the partys chances of defeating Republican incumbent Jack Cagle. Those voters had plenty of reasons for their own enthusiasm, including the implementation of a strict abortion ban by Republicans in Texas, and a relatively competitive gubernatorial contest. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Their Republican opponents will need runoffs to determine winners. Edinburg, Texas 78539. Shortly before 5 a.m., the early votes and less than half of the 375 voting centers had been reported. ", Before closing out her speech, Hidalgo turned attention to any who don't believe she won her reelection fair and square. He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan. Taken on September 7, 2022. Elections 2022 Election Guide: Harris County and Texas races to watch . Mealers bid focused on the rise in crime Harris County has seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to lay blame for that uptick at Hidalgos feet, although similar or larger increases have occurred across the country. Three of her staffers have been indicted by District Attorney Kim Ogg over a controversial COVID-19 outreach contract, an investigation that Hidalgo has decried as a witch-hunt. The Democratic incumbent has touted her response to the COVID-19 pandemicincluding supporting measures like drive-thru voting to help make it easier to voterecord investments in the county toward early childhood education, and creation of a legal defense fund for immigrants under her leadership. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Hidalgo's ethics argument also been blunted by the felony indictment of three current and former aides on charges of misuse of official information and tampering. IN THIS EPISODE: Alexandra Del Moral Mealer, the GOP Candidate running for Harris County Judge, talks about what led to her jump on the campaign trail with a goal to unseat incumbent candidate . What does the data say? Hidalgo's 2018 win was fueled by a perfect storm of political factors: voters outraged by the Trump administration, high Democratic turnout for Beto O'Rourke's campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz and the popularity of straight-ticket voting. The trend began around the start of the pandemic in 2020, when murders surged by more than 40 percent in the county, including Houston and the other incorporated cities. Hidalgo County residents and colonia residents in particular are on the frontlines of the biggest challenges facing the nation and the world. HARRIS COUNTY ELECTION UPDATES: Mealer concedes county judge race to Hidalgo. From attacks by Texas Republicans, charges filed against her staff, a well-funded campaign against her and Commissioner Court drama, Hidalgo still finished the year with a win to keep her seat as top county official for the next four years. The two emerged as victors in a nine-person primary election last month, with Mealer capturing 29 percent to Martinez's 26 percent. Throughout her reelection campaign, Hidalgo faced an onslaught of criticism from state Republicans, including Gov. "Truth won over lies." Corresponding demonstrations led by members of local law enforcement only added to the sentiment that the judge's control was under pressure, and opposition against the incumbent was capped by the court being forced to adopt a no-new budget stance due to ongoing Republican no-shows. This is due to Hidalgo facing scrutiny over allegations of not doing enough to combat a rise in crime and an ongoing lawsuit over an $11 million COVID-19 outreach . If the unofficial results stand, Democrats would retain and expand control of the county government four years after they won a majority for the first time in decades. LUPE is a nonprofit organization that helps the community organize for and win a better quality of life. It doesn't need to be that way. Hector de Leon, who works for the county clerk's office that used to oversee elections, analyzed early vote data to show some turnout trends among different demographic categories. In April, three Hidalgo staff members, including her chief of staff, were indicted for misuse of official information and tampering with government evidence. Members shall draw lots to determine who serves which terms. During her campaign, Hidalgo said she was also subjected to smears, attacks, and the "dirtiest political tricks" from statewide leaders like Gov. Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) November 9, 2022. Jasper Scherer covers Texas politics and government for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. ), LIVE RESULTS TRACKER: Texas 2022 midterm elections: Live results from Abbott vs. Beto, Hidalgo vs. Mealer and more. . Participation among voters with Spanish surnames was down 18 percent. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026. In the GOP primary for county treasurer, Kyle Scott led Eric Dick. Particularly among the Democrats, she remains very popular.". As Hidalgo's woes multiplied in commissioners court, her political opponent continued to rack up high-dollar contributions from well-heeled conservative donors. Solis, who lives in Palmview, speculated that the lack of polling locations on the west side of Hidalgo County could have been designed to help a certain primary candidate. It all started with a viral video by the National Fraternal Order of Police denouncing where Hidalgo stood on the stage particularly close to the family and their elected officials to honor the fallen officer. The judge congratulated other candidates who . According to election results from 2016 and 2020, Democrats hold a 12-point advantage in Precinct 4. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz attends Republican Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer watch party at Kirby Ice House on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston. He initially joined the paper through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program after covering the same beats for the San Antonio Express-News. Employees Only. According to the County Administrator's office, the county has added 47 deputies and 12 social workers since 2020. Please type your name EXACTLY as it appears on your VOTER REGISTRATION RECORD. "But we earned every vote and not with exaggerations or falsehoods. So, I think it's actually harmful to spend a lot of time talking about issues that aren't in your control," Mealer said. Her biggest donor was Richard Weekley, a Houston-based developer and megadonor who contributed $400,000 to Mealers campaign. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer, Gary Fountain/Contributor. Democratic County Judge Lina Hidalgo beat Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer by more than 18,000 votes.
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