Despite seeing a barrage of criticisms . He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Adrian Garcia were set to cruise through local primary elections Tuesday night, but a slew of incumbent judges faced bleaker outcomes at the district courthouse. Harris County General Election 2022 - University of Houston Attendees of Republican Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer watch as the election results come in on the television during her watch party at Kirby Ice House on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston. Before coming to the Chronicle, Jen spent three years covering City Hall for Houston's NPR station. On election night, Mealer conceded the race after unofficial results showed Hidalgo riding to a comfortable 15,000-vote lead. Harris County Commissioner Pct. 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. It doesn't need to be that way. Unofficial results for county, state and federal primary races have been released in Hidalgo County, with voters casting ballots in races, including county judge, criminal district attorney and governor. County Court at Law Judge Lesley Briones and former Harris County elections staffer Benjamin Chou were leading in that race. A new poll shows the Harris County Judge's race is neck-and-neck Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. art. Ariana Garcia joined Chron in 2021. Please type your name EXACTLY as it appears on your VOTER REGISTRATION RECORD. Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not Postmarked) Friday, February 18, 2022. Moreover, Patrick confronted Hidalgo at the event and accused her of defunding the police despite increasing the law enforcement budget since 2019. Lina Hidalgo faces tough reelection race for Harris County Judge | The According to election results from 2016 and 2020, Democrats hold a 12-point advantage in Precinct 4. Hidalgo, Garcia cruise through primary, while incumbent judges struggle Participation among voters with Spanish surnames was down 18 percent. ), LIVE RESULTS TRACKER: Texas 2022 midterm elections: Live results from Abbott vs. Beto, Hidalgo vs. Mealer and more. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo hugs U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia after being reelected for a second term on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 in Houston. Hidalgo has touted her record steering the county through several major emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and last years winter storm, and establishing programs focused on early childhood education, pandemic recovery and environmental health and monitoring. Republican challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer has conceded her bid to unseat Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, with unofficial results show her trailing by just shy of 16,000 votes. Chris Daniel, a former district clerk, ran unopposed in the Republican primary. The Editorial Board. 2022 General Election & Local Entities Election | Hidalgo County, TX Coln, the GOP strategist, said Hidalgo is looking to infuse other cultural issues into the campaign to draw attention away from the fact that she's made Harris County a more dangerous place.. The last-minute celebrity endorsements were one of Hidalgos last campaign moves before the Nov. 8 election. HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (KVEO) Hidalgo County's judge will seek to keep his position for four more years in 2022. Brandon Waltens | October 4, 2022. I want to thank each & every voter who showed up to make their voice heard this election. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, a Democrat, held a wider lead: 105,653 votes (52.56 percent) to Republican Jack Morman's 95,363 (47.44 percent), according to the unofficial vote count. 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. In that race, Hidalgo a little-known challenger capitalized on Democratic enthusiasm in a midterm election under a drastically unpopular Republican president. TEXAS VOTER GUIDE: The key state and local races that your vote will decide in the November 8 midterm election. Hidalgo County Sample Ballots Lookup Oct 25, 2022 - News. We pride ourselves on doing our best, being responsible with taxpayer . Axios on twitter. The primary election is March 1, 2022. Candidate for Harris County Judge Alexandra del Moral Mealer poses for a photo Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, at the Houston Chronicle offices in Houston. Houston Chronicle Editorial Board recommends Alexandra Mealer, not Lina Elections 2022 Election Guide: Harris County and Texas races to watch . Another candidate for county judge is McAllen City Commissioner Tania Ramirez. First Day to Apply for a Ballot by Mail. Hidalgo also addressed the millions in campaign contributions her opponent garnered from "far right, Trump mega-donors," while campaigning for office. Candidate Information - Secretary of State of Texas I also want to thank Ms. Mealer for a hard-fought campaign & her military service. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo talks to her supporters at an primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Hidalgo County Courthouse 100 North Closner. In the first post-redistricting election members are divided into two classes; one class shall serve a 2-year term and the other class shall serve a 4-year term. 2022 / 08:13 AM CST . Minerva Diaz (R) Hidalgo County Commissioner Precinct 4. Hidalgo County Elections Department LIVE UPDATES: 2022 Texas Primary Election Results. Ed Emmett - Ballotpedia Lina Hidalgo defeated incumbent Ed Emmett and Eric Gatlin in the general election for Harris County Judge on November 6, . The request to keep the polling sites open late was made by the Texas Organizing Project, Texas Civil Rights Project and the ACLU of Texas. challenging Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, The key state and local races that your vote will decide in the November 8 midterm election, 1,000 additional law enforcement officers. Hidalgo took . Dan Patrick, as well as her fellow commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey. Along her campaign trail, Hidalgo amassed the support of celebrities like Hamilton playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chicago rapper and actor Common, and actress Jane Fonda, who block-walked with her in Houston last month. . 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. Heres what you need to know. She has been on the ground to cover natural disasters, disease outbreaks, elections and protests, delivering stories to both . . Solis: Redo the primary election in Hidalgo County; tens of thousands "With crime rising, is the focus increasing deputies or is it increasing social workers?" At first, there was little sign she would face a serious re-election threat, with Harris County appearing to solidify as a Democratic stronghold by 2020. Recent polls reflected the two candidates were in a virtual dead heat, with Mealer up two points over Hidalgo. Texas 2022 Elections GOP Harris County judge candidate contesting her loss after . Dylan McGuinness covers City Hall and local politics for the Houston Chronicle. Texas 2022 elections: Who won, who lost, what's undecided Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer. Republican Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer talks to supporters during her watch party at Kirby Ice House on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston. 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. She's challenging Democratic incumbent Lina Hidalgo to become the chief executive over county government and head of the Commissioners Court. Hidalgo reported having $2 million in her campaign account, giving her a slight edge over Mealers $1.7 million cash on hand. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. "Because Lina has funded more full-time social workers than she has sheriff deputies.". For the last couple months, Hidalgo has assailed Mealer for not taking a stance on Texas abortion ban, including through a TV ad that says Mealer is staying silent while womens lives are in danger. In an effort to paint Mealer as a far-right extremist, Hidalgo has accused her of sowing doubt in the election results and being blindly loyal to former president Donald Trump. With all voting centers reporting, Hidalgo had 546,745 votes (50.74 percent) to Mealer's 530,788 (49.25 percent. "We believe and we stick to our values and that's what we brought to county government," Hidalgo told supporters at the Sam Houston Hotel late Tuesday, appearing with fellow Democrats Garcia and Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Surrounded by fellow Democrats, Lina Hidalgo delivered victory remarks and passing jabs at her detractors during a Wednesday afternoon speech following herdefeat of Republican challenger Alex Mealer in Tuesday's Harris County judge election. . Hidalgo has held the position since defeating then-incumbent and longtime County . . More often, though, her campaign rhetoric has focused on fending off attacks from Mealer and throwing her own punches at the GOP nominee. Two family court judges, Tristan Longino of the 245th district court and Barbara Stalder of the 280th, also trailed in early results, along with Scot Dollinger of the 189th district civil court. Jay R. Jordan; Axios on facebook. Hidalgo has refused campaign contributions from county contractors since the start of her term, aiming to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Members of Commissioners Court historically have relied heavily on firms that do business with the county to stockpile huge campaign war chests. "To the naysayers who think I'll be intimidated by conspiracy theories or by bullying or by political prosecutionsbring it on!" 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 . Turnout in the top 10 majority Black ZIP codes was down 15 percent from 2018, for example. Const. . What does the data say? Harris County Judge candidates: Lina Hidalgo vs Alexandra del Moral Mealer Staff writers Samantha Ketterer, Yilun Cheng and Elizabeth Trovall contributed to this report. Hidalgo has scoffed at Mealers police hiring pledge, pointing to the countys more than 400 unfilled law enforcement positions. Who won and who lost in the 2022 midterm elections across Houston and rest of Texas? WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who won and who lost in the 2022 midterm elections across Houston and rest of Texas? "Right now the county judge race is in a . Five questions with Harris County judge candidate Alexandra Mealer 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. BY THE NUMBERS: Republicans say violent crime is up, Dems say it's down. Adrian Garcia is in a rematch with Republican Jack Morman, Lina Hidalgo and Alexandra Mealer debate Harris County budget, crime and policy, appeared to gain some breathing room over the summer, What you need to know about Lina Hidalgo and Alex Mealer in the race for Harris County judge, refused campaign contributions from county contractors, have relied heavily on firms that do business with the county, has raised millions from small-dollar donors, Hidalgo, Harris County Dems hope for boost from abortion, national trends, but races still competitive over crime, economy. DIRECTORY. Fifteen candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge in the upcoming . The spotlight also fueled speculation she could someday run for larger office, both of which made her a primary target for both local and statewide conservatives. "While we did not accomplish our goal of changing leadership in Harris County, we were successful in elevating the profile of critical issues like the need to appropriately resource our law enforcement and criminal justice system, as well as the desire to eliminate corruption and increase transparency in local government," Mealer said in a statement on social media. 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 . Marc Campos, a longtime Houston Democratic consultant who is not involved in the race, said Hidalgo likely will benefit from low propensity voters who feel motivated to turn out because of abortion rights. 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. Since July, Republican donors have poured nearly $9 million into Mealer's bid to unseat Hidalgo a staggering haul for a county judge race. The 31-year-old stood in front of supporters applauding and chanting her name at the office of the Harris Democratic Party. The elections took place amid a series of hurdles at the ballot box, culminating Tuesday night with Harris County election officials asking the state for an extension on the 24-hour deadline, required by state law, to count all the votes. 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. WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who won, who lost, who's going to a runoff in primary elections across Houston, rest of Texas. District Clerk Marilyn Burgess led her Democratic challenger in the early returns. Rest assured that I take, very seriously, the responsibility to serve all of Hidalgo County. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at an primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Espaol / English. Ed Emmett (Republican Party) was the Harris County Judge in Texas. McGuinness previously covered the Rhode Island statehouse for the Associated Press and breaking news for the Boston Globe. STAY IN THE KNOW, by visiting our website in the next couple of days. Release: Hidalgo County Judge Candidates Will Tackle the Biggest Challenges Facing Colonia, RGV Residents at LUPE Candidate Forum. 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. The county judge race is expected to be close, though Hidalgo still has an edge over her opponent due to the countys leftward tilt, according to Rene Cross, the executive director of the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs. Two candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge in the upcoming Nov. 8 election with Republican candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer challenging the incumbent Democratic judge . 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. Republicans Have Their Knives Out for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo This is a carousel. Politics A new poll shows the Harris County Judge's race is neck-and-neck. Sen. Ted Cruz, who endorsed Mealer showed up at Mealer's election watch party. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your County Judge. Is Whataburger healthy? Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at a primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Our office stands ready to assist Harris County election officials, and all county election officials throughout the state, in complying with Texas Election Code requirements for accurately tabulating and reporting Primary Election results, Scott said.