Harris County District Clerk Democratic Primary Heads to May Runoff

Not one of eight Democrats managed to win a majority of their own party's voters in the March 3 primary for Harris County District Clerk, producing a May runoff between former county court-at-law judge Darrell Jordan Jr. and 23-year-old educator Jose "Alex" Maldonado.

Darrell Jordan Jr., who spent eight years on the county court-at-law bench, led the field with roughly 37,959 votes, or about 20 percent, according to unofficial results reported by ABC13. Maldonado followed with 32,306 votes, listed at 17 percent in the same tally. Houston Public Media, citing complete but unofficial results, reported slightly different figures: Jordan received just over 19 percent and Maldonado 18.9 percent. Both outlets agreed on the outcome, and no candidate in the eight-person field exceeded 20 percent. The discrepancy likely reflects different rounding at different reporting intervals; certified totals from the Harris County Elections Administrator will provide the definitive count.

The seat is among the most operationally significant in county government. The district clerk serves as the top custodian and registrar of Harris County, overseeing a staff of more than 600 employees and at least 110 statutory and specialty courts. Outgoing District Clerk Marilyn Burgess's office processed 5.8 million civil and criminal court documents last year alone.

Burgess's departure created the opening. She announced abruptly that she would not seek reelection, and in September said she had no plans to pursue any other elected office after drawing backlash from county commissioners for voting on a salary grievance committee to raise her own salary by $81,000. Eight Democrats and one presumptive Republican nominee, former District Clerk Chris Daniel, quickly entered the race.

The Democratic field that formed around the open seat included Desiree Broadnax, Pernell Davis, Angie Dozier, Donna G. Glover, Jordan, Carlis Lollie, Maldonado, and Roslyn "Rozzy" Shorter. Shorter ran in this race with some historical familiarity with the position: she was the runner-up to Burgess in the 2018 Democratic primary, receiving 23.4 percent to Burgess's 49.2 percent, before losing the May 2018 runoff 71.6 percent to 28.4 percent. Burgess then won reelection in 2022, defeating Desiree Broadnax 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent in a primary that required no runoff.

The 2026 race produced a far more fragmented result, setting up a May Democratic runoff between Jordan and Maldonado. The winner will face Chris Daniel in the November general election.