Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo is applauded as she arrives at a primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Following Democrat Lesley Briones' election win against incumbent Jack Cagle for Harris County Precinct 4 commissioner, Hidalgo noted that the Commissioners Court now has three Hispanics and two women. Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo is running for a second term as Harris County Judge. Early voting will begin Monday, October 24, 2022 and will run through. Ellie Torres (D) Hidalgo County Constable Precinct 5. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. "I want to thank her for her concession and I want to thank her again for her service to our country so let's give her a round of applause." The balance of the five-member court is at stake in this election, with three incumbents up for re-election in competitive races. As many of you know, I am not a stranger to public service. 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. Before coming to the Chronicle, Jen spent three years covering City Hall for Houston's NPR station. Hidalgo's camp announced that the Democratic judge will make her victory remarks at the office of the Harris County Democratic Party on Wednesday, though they did not confirm when. Don't elect their candidate for County Judge" or something and avoided a poor fact checking result. Jan. 31, 2022 Updated: Feb. 1, 2022 7:58 a.m. Facebook Twitter Email Houston business owner Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale has endorsed GOP candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer for Harris County Judge. Hidalgo and other Democrats hoped that firewall would help them stave off challenges in a race where their contests appear in the latter pages of a drawn-out ballot. If you are running in the March 2022 primaries, we want to hear from you. I also want to thank Ms. Mealer for a hard-fought campaign & her military service. Sam Gonzlez Kelly is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle. ), LIVE RESULTS TRACKER: Texas 2022 midterm elections: Live results from Abbott vs. Beto, Hidalgo vs. Mealer and more. Commissioner Jack and Janet Cagle, center, at his election night party at Maize's Restaurant in Houston. She enjoys traveling and reading romance novels. Search Texas Monthly He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan. From attacks by Texas Republicans, charges filed . During her campaign, Hidalgo said she was also subjected to smears, attacks, and the "dirtiest political tricks" from statewide leaders like Gov. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo saw her most challenging year in politics in 2022. Politics A new poll shows the Harris County Judge's race is neck-and-neck. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026. Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria said some paper ballots got wrinkled and jammed, but most votes would be counted on time. His statement went on to layout the penalty a class B misdemeanor for failing to meet the deadline. The Early Voting results were reported shortly after the polls closed, Election Day results will be reported, and the remainder of the reconciliation process will continue over the next few days, as we prioritize accuracy over speed, Longorias office said in a statement. I am extremely grateful to our supporters and all those who contributed to this campaign. A look back at Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's biggest moments of 2022. 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. In the GOP primary for county treasurer, Kyle Scott led Eric Dick. Oct. 12, 2022 Updated: Oct. 14, 2022 1:37 p.m. For the first time, the two candidates for Harris County judge, incumbent Lina Hidalgo and challenger Alexandra Mealer, sat down . More often, though, her campaign rhetoric has focused on fending off attacks from Mealer and throwing her own punches at the GOP nominee. This is a carousel. "Hidalgo continues to be the front-runner, primarily because of the makeup of Harris County in terms of partisanship," Cross said. Hidalgo's reelection campaign also suffered a blow following an unexpected endorsement from the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board co-signing Mealer. You can't just look the other way on so many issues.". The last-minute celebrity endorsements were one of Hidalgos last campaign moves before the Nov. 8 election. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo greets people in line outside West Grey Multi-Service Center, 1475 W Gray St., on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Houston. In this one, Mealer is hoping to achieve the same feat, only with the parties swapped. They attributed the delay to damaged ballot sheets that must be duplicated before they can be scanned by counting machines, according to Secretary of State John Scotts office. Is Whataburger healthy? She beat Emmett by just over 19,000 votes, out of 1.1 million cast in the race, and 86 percent of her votes came from Democrats who cast straight-ticket ballots, a practice the Texas Legislature since has ended. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at a primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. 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. Power-hungry politicians use our home to scapegoat immigrants, divide citizens and enrich wealthy special interests. According to a new University of Houston poll, Mealer holds a slight lead with Election Day just two weeks away and early voting already underway. Their Republican opponents will need runoffs to determine winners. Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg. Election mishaps and conflicting court rulings introduced a degree of uncertainty about when the results would become official. MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Houston is ugly, and I've never felt more at home, Texas A&M upset win clears path for UH to snag top overall seed, Oops! Hidalgos Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer raised 4x the amount of fundraising money in her bid. For the first time, the two candidates for Harris County judge, incumbent Lina Hidalgo and challenger Alexandra Mealer, sat down face-to-face. In her first term in office, Hidalgo has expanded the traditional responsibilities of county government beyond infrastructure, law enforcement and flood control, imagining a broader, more holistic role for the county that includes such things as child care, housing stability and reform-minded criminal justice. While Mealer and other GOP candidates running for seats on Commissioners Court have maintained an intense focus on crime and public safety, those issues are far from the only challenges facing Harris County government, which also is responsible for planning out billions of dollars in flood control projects, overseeing development in unincorporated areas and running public health institutions that provide treatment for a large share of the county's uninsured, low-income residents. the Hidalgo County health authority, announced he was passing on a campaign for the seat, saying he could . Former Army Capt. 1 of 11 Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at a primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Houston still trails well behind other big cities around the country, many of which experienced a sharper rise in violent crime. Mealer, a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, says she wants the county to go back to the basics and has said she will hire 1,000 additional law enforcement officers if elected and Republicans win a majority on Commissioners Court. Mealer concedes to Hidalgo in Harris County judge race, Democrats likely to expand majority, Timeline: How battle between Houston ISD, TEA has reached the point of a looming takeover. That fundraising ability allowed Mealer to distribute TV ads hammering home her message that crime is out of control and Hidalgo is to blame. ", Yesterday, the people of Harris County chose optimism over fear & people over politics. 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 . Attendees reacts as they watch televised election returns from the bar at the Election Night Watch Party hosted by the Harris Co. Democratic Party held at Chapman and Kirby Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston, TX. 05/09/2022 01:51 PM EDT. Jen Rice is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle covering Harris County government. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo talks to her supporters at an primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Jaime E. Galvan 11/8/2022. 2022 Wave elections; 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. Hidalgo also found herself at the center of controversy earlier this year after three of her top aides were indicted by a grand jury. This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Proposed Texas bill gives tax cuts to heterosexual families only, These bites won big at the Houston rodeo's foodie awards. Her biggest donor was Richard Weekley, a Houston-based developer and megadonor who contributed $400,000 to Mealers campaign. 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. Lawyers for the aides have maintained their innocence. Many pundits have said these races are too close to call, and early vote returns reflect that these races are tight, Sims said. Jay R. Jordan; Axios on facebook. 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. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo tries to win re-election but faces a challenge from Republican Alexandra . Mar 2, 2022. That means all votes cast between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. are being set aside until the high court decides whether they're legitimate and can be counted. Incumbent Democrat Teneshia Hudspeth will face former County Clerk Stan Stanart in the November general election. That's because Harris County District Court Judge Dawn Rogers prompted by a lawsuit alleging that some people were denied election access because of poor planning that led to late opening times at some voting centers signed an order on Tuesday evening keeping all polling places open one hour later, until 8 p.m., only to have the Texas Supreme Court stay her order in the evening. The Democratic majority tried to draw Cagle, a Republican who has represented Precinct 4 since 2011, out of office when it passed new precinct maps last year. Democrats thought their 3-2 majority on the Court would make this an easy task and they . Hidalgo County Elections Department administers the polling locations in the early voting period. HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (KVEO) Hidalgo County's judge will seek to keep his position for four more years in 2022. . Hidalgo has been forced to play defense on the issue, with Mealer and other Republicans pointing to a rise in homicides and overall violent crime in Harris County. . Texas 2022 elections: Who won, who lost Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo won reelection after a close race against well-funded opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. Hidalgo's victory helped secure a 4-1 Democratic majority on the court that was sealed after former civil court judge Lesley Briones beat incumbent Republican commissioner Jack Cagle for the Precinct 4 seat. Const. As County judge, she oversees an annual budget of $4.3 billion with four other County commissioners (who all happen to be men). This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Proposed Texas bill gives tax cuts to heterosexual families only, These bites won big at the Houston rodeo's foodie awards. She has evolved into a savvy, hard-nosed, driven candidate, and she has been incredibly successful in raising the funds necessary to compete with Lina Hidalgo. 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. The judge also referenced endorsements of her opponent made by Jim Mattress "Mack McIngvale" and the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board, as well as others she characterized as belonging to a "political establishment that frankly has held onto power for just a little too long. . Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Cagle was unopposed on the Republican side. Sort of. Hidalgo ( Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Harris County Judge in Texas. A new study says yes. Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared at a rally Tuesday supporting Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo . This is a carousel. The intense exchange was just one of many instances in which the lieutenant governor has openly rejected Hidalgo.