Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday evening in an ABC 13 interview that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
Earlier this month, during her State of the County address, Hidalgo told the public that her decision would come “very, very, very soon.” Her announcement ends months of speculation, as she had repeatedly teased her future plans.
Hidalgo was first elected in 2018 at just 27 years old, defeating longtime Republican incumbent Judge Ed Emmett in a surprise upset. She won re-election in 2022. During her tenure, the commissioners court shifted from Republican to Democrat control.
In recent months, however, tensions between Hidalgo and fellow Democrat commissioners have escalated. The conflict came to a head last month when commissioners voted to censure Hidalgo—the first time a sitting Harris County judge had faced such a rebuke.
The censure followed a controversial meeting in which Hidalgo brought children from multiple daycares into Commissioners Court to participate in the proceedings. She used the children to pressure commissioners into backing her early childhood education program. Following that meeting, the Texas Department of Family Protective Services announced it was investigating two of the daycares that brought children to court.
Hidalgo’s decision not to run could open the door for new contenders. Erica Lee Carter, daughter of the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, has already signaled interest. In a July post, she wrote: “If Judge Lina Hidalgo chooses not to run for re-election, I, Erica Lee Carter, will be running for Harris County Judge. This community means everything to me, and I’m ready to step up and lead on the issues that matter most to Houston and Harris County.”
If Carter enters the race, she will join an already crowded field. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer have both announced campaigns for the Democrat nomination.
On the Republican side, Houston firefighters’ union leader Marty Lancton, Piney Point Village Mayor Aliza Dutt, and businessman Warren Howell have entered the race.
Democrats’ electoral advantage in Harris County has shown signs of narrowing in recent cycles. In 2022, Hidalgo defeated Republican challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer by only 20,000 votes. Mealer is now running for Congressional District 9. In 2024, Democrat District Attorney Sean Teare won re-election over Republican Dan Simons by less than 2 percent—a nearly 5-point drop from Democrats’ 2020 margin.
Concluding her announcement, Hidalgo hinted at a return to politics down the road: “In the future, I would like to, if the voters will have me, I’d like to be in elected office again. I think that with everything I’ve been through, I have learned so much about how to be an elected official and make it sustainable.”
The Primary Election is scheduled for March 3 2026, with the General Election set for November 2026.
