With all voting precincts counted in Harris County, Republicans bested Democrats in 10 countywide District Court races and 10 appellate court races in the region. They also came within striking distance in the contests for Harris County District Attorney, County Attorney, and County Tax Assessor.
Although considered by many to be a solidly Democrat county, Harris County Republicans had their strongest showing since 2014.
The region’s appellate courts showed similar trends as other appellate courts around the state, where reports of unofficial results show Republicans won 31 of the 32 head-to-head races with Democrats.
Given recent trends, many candidates for Houston’s 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals expected to count fewer Harris County voters as supporters, with the bulk of their support coming from Republican-leaning adjacent counties in their districts. Instead of just performing well in Harris County, some won the county outright.
In a statement, the Harris County Republican Party said the wins show that “Harris County is the largest swing county in the country,” and that the “road ahead for Republicans in the state’s largest county has never looked more promising.”
“This election already marks a significant achievement for our party. Our competitive edge was evident throughout, demonstrating that even with limited resources, our message resonates deeply with voters across Harris County. Harris County Republicans are only getting more competitive. Last cycle we won four countywide seats, this time we won ten,” said Harris County GOP Chair Cindy Siegel.
Harris County Republican and State Republican Executive Committee member Rolando Garcia noted that in 2016 and 2020, President Trump lost the county by 13 percent, but he only lost by five percent in 2024. Similarly, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lost the county by 17 percent in 2018 and reduced that margin to nine percent in 2024.
“Harris County was supposed to be ground zero of the demographic tsunami that would turn Texas blue,” he posted on X. “Instead, Republicans didn’t just stop the bleeding in Harris County but are reclaiming lost ground.”
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee’s Republican challenger Jacqueline Lucci Smith trailed by just one point. Many considered District Attorney-elect Sean Teare a shoo-in after handily beating outgoing District Attorney Kim Ogg in the March Democrat Primary. Weeks ago, polling even showed Teare with a 14-point lead on his Republican opponent, Dan Simons. However, after all votes were counted, Teare only led his opponent by one point.
The results are promising for Republicans, who in recent years have been fighting the Democrat headwinds that previously swept the county.
The Harris County Republican Party is planning a press conference to discuss “historic gains in the country’s largest swing county.”
