Harris County GOP eyes 2026 wins at members-only election event

The Harris County Republican Party brought Melissa Conway to a members-only event Wednesday night as it pushed its 2026 strategy around election integrity, redistricting and efforts to flip the county. In a county of about 4.5 million residents spread across 1,778 square miles, the fight over how elections are run carries unusual weight.

That backdrop still includes the county’s 2023 overhaul of election administration. After a state law abolished the appointed elections administrator position in counties with more than 3.5 million people, Harris County commissioners voted in August 2023 to transfer the budget, equipment and 170 employees from the Elections Administrator’s Office to the county clerk and tax assessor-collector. The shift did not change when residents vote, but it did change which elected offices handle the machinery behind registration, staffing and election day logistics.

The party’s timing was deliberate. Harris County Elections has already posted official reports for the May 26, 2026 Republican Party primary runoff, and the 2026 calendar also includes the March primary and the Nov. 3 general election. For Republicans, the calendar means the next cycle is already under way, with turnout, ballot access and local administration likely to stay under a bright spotlight.

Conway, who co-founded Texas Election Network, has become a familiar name in Harris County election politics. Texas Election Network describes itself as nonpartisan and focused on protecting election integrity. Conway also appeared on a March 3, 2026 Texas Public Policy Foundation Election Protection Project podcast that dealt with grassroots involvement, the responsibilities of county party chairs, training, TEN Talks and Harris County’s election complexity.

The county party has made those trainings part of its own playbook, hosting poll watcher and election integrity sessions in the past with figures including Alan Vera, Felicia Cravens, Jessica Padilla and Conway. That emphasis comes as redistricting adds another layer of uncertainty: Texas enacted a new congressional map on Aug. 29, 2025 that was designed to shift five Democratic districts toward Republicans ahead of 2026, but a federal court blocked the new maps in November 2025.

Republicans have also pointed to their 2024 showing as proof the county is in play. After the November election, they said they were thrilled by their gains, and local reporting showed Republicans made significant advances up and down the ballot even though they did not win countywide offices. They did capture 10 judgeships, a sign that Harris County remains close enough for both parties to treat it as a top target heading into 2026.