hidalgo county judge candidates 2022

Monday, February 14, 2022. Tensions ran high as the court's two Republican members skipped the meeting, blocking the three Democrats from passing their proposed tax rate unless they agreed to specific terms for funding law enforcement. Cortez, Tania Ramirez, and Norma Ramirez are running in the Democratic Party primary. Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at an primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Harris County Commissioner Pct. (Steve Gonzales, Staff photographer) / Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner before they gave a joint press conference about growing Monkeypox infections in July 2022. A native Houstonian, Jen graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University and earned a master's degree from University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs. The vote totals confirmed just how hotly contested the local races were. 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. Release: Hidalgo County Judge Candidates Will Tackle the Biggest Challenges Facing Colonia, RGV Residents at LUPE Candidate Forum. Participation among voters with Spanish surnames was down 18 percent. 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. Texas 2022 Elections Texas' 2022 races coming into focus as candidate filings close. Mealer has focused her campaign on crime and public safety spending, arguing Hidalgo has failed to devote enough funding to county law enforcement amid a rise in violent crime. Now, emboldened by a combination of factors the felony indictment of three Hidalgo aides, a sharp rise in homicides mirroring a trend across the country, and favorable national conditions Harris County Republicans have rallied behind Mealer as perhaps their best shot to reverse their recent struggles. They asked the federal government for additional vaccine doses due to rising, but still relatively small, numbers of cases. On Friday, Hidalgo County Judge Richard . Previously, she was a community news and breaking news reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. Welcome to the Hidalgo County Elections Department! Lina Hidalgo, a progressive Democrat who leads the county that includes Houston, is facing an unexpectedly serious re-election challenge from a Republican first-time candidate, Alexandra del Moral . Campaign Finance Reports. 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. Dylan McGuinness covers City Hall and local politics for the Houston Chronicle. 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. Hidalgos Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer raised 4x the amount of fundraising money in her bid. 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. She had poured nearly $1.9 million of her campaign funds into TV ads as of last week, nearly a 3-to-1 advantage over Hidalgo, according to data from the media-tracking firm AdImpact. Alexandra Mealer is a tenacious campaigner, said Jessica Coln, a Houston-based Republican strategist who is uninvolved in the race. HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (KVEO) Hidalgo County's judge will seek to keep his position for four more years in 2022. Race for Harris County judge still too close to call Published: November 8, 2022, 11:56 AM Updated: November 9, 2022, 1:04 AM Tags: Decision 2022 , Harris County , Voting , Lina Hidalgo . The local Democratic Party administers the polling locations on Election Day. Five lower-ballot Republicans had narrow advantages for criminal or civil court benches, though Democrats were leading in most contests. We'll ask them about immigration and the border, climate-fueled flooding, broadband internet, and more. Hidalgo repeatedly has said the countys main public safety departments the sheriff, constables and district attorney have received funding boosts in each county budget since Democrats took control of Commissioners Court in 2018. Search Texas Monthly Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo greets her supporters at a primaries election night party at Axelrad Beer Garden, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. "She does seem to evoke strong emotions in either party. Lina Hidalgo, a rising Democratic star, faces a tough reelection race to lead Harris County. Marie D. De Jess/Staff photographer . The balance of the five-member court is at stake in this election, with three incumbents up for re-election in competitive races. 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. 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. said Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official of Harris County, Texas, after news broke last week that 30 truckloads of contaminated firefighting water were arriving each day to Deer Park, a suburb of Houston. She has defended the staffers, who are accused of steering a vaccine outreach contract to a politically connected vendor. The County Judge is the presiding officer of the county commissioners court and the head of emergency management. If Hidalgo holds on to win, she will have overcome an aggressive re-election fight in a hostile political climate for Democrats. . Hidalgo touts among her . Mealer's tough-on-crime campaign also spotlighted these accusations, framing the 31-year-old incumbent as an adversary of local law enforcement. 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. Turnout overall was down 10 percent, but de Leon noted it still marked the second-highest turnout for a midterm election here. ), LIVE RESULTS TRACKER: Texas 2022 midterm elections: Live results from Abbott vs. Beto, Hidalgo vs. Mealer and more. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. STAY IN THE KNOW, by visiting our website in the next couple of days. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? Minerva Diaz (R) Hidalgo County Commissioner Precinct 4. I am committed to working hard every day . The indictment, filed by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, centered around the awarding of an $11 million county contract to Elevate Strategies, a local Houston company whose founder Felicity Pereyra had previously worked on Democratic campaigns. WHAT: Candidate Forum for Hidalgo County Judge in the Democratic Party Primary, Candidates: Richard Cortez (incumbent), Norma Ramirez, Tania Ramirez, Sponsors: La Unin del Pueblo Entero and LUPE Votes. Her reporting has aired nationally on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Here & Now. Lina Hidalgo defeated incumbent Ed Emmett and Eric Gatlin in the general election for Harris County Judge on November 6, . 2022 Candidate's Guide - Running for State, District or County Office; 2020 Candidate's Guide - Running for Federal, State, District or County offices. Staff writers Samantha Ketterer, Yilun Cheng and Elizabeth Trovall contributed to this report. 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. Updated: Jun 18, 2021 / 01:46 PM CDT. Campaign finance reports received by the Harris County Office of the Elections Administrator on July 15 show $2.88M in total contributions between Feb. 20-June 30 to the two candidates for Harris . Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) November 9, 2022. . Across race and background, we are uniting to demand those who govern in our name to provide the things all working people need: Education that teaches us about our past while preparing us for the future. Incumbents in more high-profile local posts, namely Hidalgo and Garcia, fared better. 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. Lawyers for the aides have maintained their innocence. Republicans say violent crime is up, Dems say it's down. LUPE was founded in 1989 by farmworker and civil rights leaders Cesar E. Chavez and Dolores Huerta. One of the first priorities for newly elected County Judge Lina Hidalgo was to push through an historic 8% property tax increase - the maximum property tax increase allowed. McGuinness previously covered the Rhode Island statehouse for the Associated Press and breaking news for the Boston Globe. 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. Ed Emmett (Republican Party) was the Harris County Judge in Texas. Del Moral Mealer is running in the Republican primary for Harris County Judge. For several election cycles, Houston-area voters have favored Democrats over Republicans. Her biggest donor was Richard Weekley, a Houston-based developer and megadonor who contributed $400,000 to Mealers campaign. Violent crime in Harris County has become a key issue in the race for County Judge, with one of the candidates unveiling a law enforcement plan in an effort to curb . Jasper Scherer covers Texas politics and government for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Both candidates have highlighted their ethnicityin their campaigns: Hidalgo was born in Colombia and immigrated with her family to the U.S. in 2005, while Mealer's paternal grandfather immigrated from Spain. Elections Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo throws shade at Mattress Mack, local leaders during victory speech. Former Army captain Alexandra Del Moral Mealer won her primary in May, securing her as the Republican candidate for Harris County judge against Hidalgo in November. 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. 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. Emmett left office in 2019. He initially joined the paper through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program after covering the same beats for the San Antonio Express-News. This is a carousel. "Truth won over lies." Hidalgo argued Republicans are forcing the county to scale back other essential services, and as she commented on the impacts to various departments, Mealer supporters rolled their eyes, laser-focused on their candidates goal of hiring more patrol officers. "The community has a position on these issues, and they want to know their leader's position. Her opponent, incumbent county Judge Lina Hidalgo, told ABC13 at the time the numbers were looking better and that Harris County is not alone in battling crime. 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. VIDEO: Lina Hidalgo and Alexandra Mealer debate Harris County budget, crime and policy. Ballotpedia's 2022 elections analysis. 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 COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) - The race for Hidalgo County Judge has two candidates on the Republican ticket, something that is rare in the Rio Grande Valley. In 2022, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had the odds stacked against her in a challenging campaign year to keep her top position in the county. From attacks by Texas Republicans, charges filed . Before coming to the Chronicle, Jen spent three years covering City Hall for Houston's NPR station. LIVE UPDATES: 2022 Texas Primary Election Results. 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. On election night, Mealer conceded the race after unofficial results showed Hidalgo riding to a comfortable 15,000-vote lead. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? With all voting centers reporting, Hidalgo had 546,745 votes (50.74 percent) to Mealer's 530,788 (49.25 percent. 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. Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared at a rally Tuesday supporting Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo . Please type your name EXACTLY as it appears on your VOTER REGISTRATION RECORD. Despite the odds seemingly piling up against Hidalgo as Election Day approached, the 31-year-old Democrat still managed to come out on top. 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. He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan. More often, though, her campaign rhetoric has focused on fending off attacks from Mealer and throwing her own punches at the GOP nominee. For the first time, the two candidates for Harris County judge, incumbent Lina Hidalgo and challenger Alexandra Mealer, sat down face-to-face. 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. 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. "With crime rising, is the focus increasing deputies or is it increasing social workers?" . [Tex. 10:46 AM CDT October 23, 2022 . Among those trailing are five criminal district court judges: Chuck Silverman, 183rd district court; Abigail Anastasio, 184th; Greg Glass, 208th; and Amy Martin, 263rd. In that race, Hidalgo a little-known challenger capitalized on Democratic enthusiasm in a midterm election under a drastically unpopular Republican president. In this one, Mealer is hoping to achieve the same feat, only with the parties swapped. Moreover, Patrick confronted Hidalgo at the event and accused her of defunding the police despite increasing the law enforcement budget since 2019. Who won and who lost in the 2022 midterm elections across Houston and rest of Texas? Brioness lead over Cagle came in part by design. Fifteen candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge in the upcoming . Dan Patrick, and Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar, particularly with accusations that she was "defunding" the police. 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. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, a Democrat, and Pct. Republican Harris County Judge candidate Alexandra del Moral Mealer talks to the media as early election results come in at her watch party at Kirby Ice House on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Houston. Her opponent, Republican challenge . Democrats on Tuesday generally faced a hostile climate, with President Joe Bidens lagging approval numbers, the uptick in crime and rising inflation all dragging on their enthusiasm. . Austin, TX, February 8, 2022 With increasingly heated discussions over public safety and rising homicide rates, and a grand jury investigation over an $11 million vaccine outreach contract looming, multiple Democratic and Republican candidates have filed for a chance to challenge Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2022.. Hidalgo faces five challengers in the Democratic primary, most . . 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. In April, three Hidalgo staff members, including her chief of staff, were indicted for misuse of official information and tampering with government evidence. 05/09/2022 01:51 PM EDT. Climate damage has fueled storms that flood our region. 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.. That fundraising ability allowed Mealer to distribute TV ads hammering home her message that crime is out of control and Hidalgo is to blame. Members shall draw lots to determine who serves which terms. He initially joined the paper through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program after covering the same beats for the San Antonio Express-News. 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. 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. First elected to the position in 2018 after narrowly defeating her Republican opponent and former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Hidalgo is the first woman and Latina to hold the office. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. That is not guaranteed, though, given the narrow nature of their leads and the in-limbo status of the set-aside ballots. Those showed potentially ominous trends for strongholds in the traditional Democratic coalition. Harris County judge candidates . Quick Links. . So, I think it's actually harmful to spend a lot of time talking about issues that aren't in your control," Mealer said. A poll from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, released Monday on the first day of early voting, found 47% of likely Harris County voters say they will support Mealer, a political newcomer running for Harris County judge. District Clerk Marilyn Burgess led her Democratic challenger in the early returns. Harris County judgeLina Hidalgotalks to her supporters at a primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. 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. Registered Voters as of February 27, 2023 Total 412,899. The result: Cagles Republican-leaning precinct became a Democratic-leaning one. She says her plan to hire 1,000 additional officers could be covered, at least in part, by cutting county administrative staff, though she has not revealed specific funding plans or committed to any cuts to core services. Friday, November 4, 2022. He has also reported on local politics for both papers. 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. The judge congratulated other candidates who won in Tuesday's election, including Democratic Precinct 2 commissioner Adrian Garcia's victory over his Republican opponent Jack Morman. LUPE was founded in 1989 by farmworker and civil rights leaders . ELECTION CALENDAR DATES. Alexandra del Moral Mealer, the Republican nominee for Harris County judge, speaking at the press conference at the Harris County DeputiesOrganization in Houston. 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. A first-time political candidate, Mealer ran a tough on crime campaign against the Democratic incumbent, criticizing Hidalgo for the countys crime rate and stumping on issues of public safety. And the pandemic is deepened inequality and exacerbated existing divisions. 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 . In the GOP primary for county treasurer, Kyle Scott led Eric Dick. 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. Hidalgo's conservative commissioners court colleagues have accused the judge of "defunding the police," a claim she has fiercely denied. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is applauded as she arrives to a primaries election night party, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. This is a carousel. Alexandra del Moral Mealer, the Republican candidate for Harris County Judge, chats with attendees and other candidates running for difference offices during a meet and greet hosted by Magic Circle Republican Women, Log Cabin Republicans of Houston and the Houston Young Republicans in the Heights on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. ", 'POLITICS OF PERCEPTION': Hidalgo, Harris County Dems hope for boost from abortion, national trends, but races still competitive over crime, economy. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo tries to win re-election but faces a challenge from Republican Alexandra . 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! "The math is clear, and one plus one equals two, but they're still trying to pin that on us," she said. Jen Rice is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle covering Harris County government. The contract was ultimately rescinded, and Hidalgo has continuously defended her office and aides in relation to the indictment. Their Republican opponents will need runoffs to determine winners. She has said the GOP plan would create hundreds of new positions that may never be filled, while preventing raises for the current police officers and cutting critical funding for flood control, public health, and other areas.. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Particularly among the Democrats, she remains very popular.". Is Whataburger healthy? Rest assured that I take, very seriously, the responsibility to serve all of Hidalgo County. Don't elect their candidate for County Judge" or something and avoided a poor fact checking result. The board praised her plans to combat violent crime in the county and promises to clear a backlog of criminal cases at the courthouse. That's why tonight we are hosting a forum with the candidates for Hidalgo County Judge in the Democratic Party Primary. Hidalgos Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer raised 4x the amount of fundraising money in her bid. Here is a look at some of her most significant moments of 2022. 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. According to election results from 2016 and 2020, Democrats hold a 12-point advantage in Precinct 4. Chris Daniel, a former district clerk, ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Republican challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer has conceded her bid to unseat Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, with unofficial results show her trailing by . Elections 2022 Election Guide: Harris County and Texas races to watch . Recent polls reflected the two candidates were in a virtual dead heat, with Mealer up two points over Hidalgo. "We are just getting started.". I sincerely appreciate your vote of confidence in electing me. 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. November 8, 2022 General Election & Local Entities Elections. In 2022, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had the odds stacked against her in a challenging campaign year to keep her top position in the county.