Harris County Judge Runoff Pits Parker Against Plummer Ahead of May

Annise Parker took 46.6% of the Democratic primary vote for Harris County judge, compared to Letitia Plummer's 37.3%, but that nine-point margin was not enough to end the race on March 3. No single candidate received more than 50% of the vote, prompting a runoff on May 26. The seat — which oversees a $4 billion budget and presides over Commissioners Court — is now the focus of an 83-day sprint toward early voting that begins May 18.

Parker secured the most votes in the Democratic primary but fell slightly short of the 50 percent-plus requirement, sending her to a runoff with former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer. In raw terms, Parker drew 46.6% to Plummer's 37.3%, while Matt Salazar, the only other Democratic candidate on the ballot, received 16.1% — a bloc of roughly 53,866 votes that neither campaign can afford to leave unclaimed.

Parker previously served as the mayor of Houston between 2010 and 2016, and has also served as a Houston City Council member and city controller. She made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor of an American city and later led the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based political action organization. Parker hinted at a political comeback in 2024, and her campaign watch party on election night was held at Pearl Houston, an LGBTQ+ bar on Washington Avenue, where Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia was among the supporters who appeared. "I have every confidence I will be the next Harris County Judge," Parker said that night. "I know I will be the Democratic nominee."

Plummer served two terms for Houston City Council At-large Position 4, stepped down from the position in 2025, and is also the owner and lead of Maxwello Dental in Pearland. She stepped down from the city council in order to run for county judge. Plummer won the endorsement of the Harris County Young Democrats, Lone Star Left, and Houston Progressive Caucus; her campaign identifies priorities as expanding public health capacity, investing in flood control, supporting small businesses, and strengthening environmental standards. On primary night, Plummer told Houston Public Media, "I think people are showing up and speaking up and they're saying they want people who understands our issues, our affordability challenges, our healthcare challenges."

Parker's campaign messaging leans hard into the turbulence of the current political moment. Her materials describe a county under threat from multiple directions: "Donald Trump is throwing millions of Americans off healthcare to fund tax cuts for billionaires — and gutting FEMA, which pays for our local response to hurricanes, flooding, and major disasters. Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick are at war with Harris County, at war with women and people of color, and at war with public education." That framing is particularly pointed given that the county judge serves as head of emergency management, a role that puts FEMA coordination at the center of the job description.

The open seat itself was created when incumbent Lina Hidalgo said she decided to keep her promise to serve only two terms and would not seek a third. The Harris County judge oversees a $4 billion budget and presides over Commissioners Court; the position earns about $191,000 per year and is elected to a four-year term.

A similar runoff scenario played out on the GOP side, as former Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez and insurance businessman Warren Howell will face off in May. Sanchez received 26.46% of the Republican vote and Howell earned 20.79%, with Marty Lancton close behind at 20.57%. The winners of both party runoffs meet in the November 3 general election for the right to lead the third-largest county in the United States.

Parker drew roughly $416,000 in campaign donations during the latest reporting cycle; among nine total candidates in the primaries, she trailed only Republican Marty Lancton in cash donations but received about 115 more individual donations than him. Her top donations included a $20,000 gift from Gilbert Garcia, a managing partner of a Houston-based asset management firm, along with $10,000 from Ken Bohan, treasurer of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and another $10,000 from former Port Houston Commissioner Theldon Branch III.

Early voting for the May 26 runoff opens May 18 and closes May 22, giving both campaigns a five-day window to mobilize supporters before election day decides who carries the Democratic banner into November.