Harris County judge primaries: Parker, Plummer and Sanchez, Howell heading to runoffs

Early, unofficial returns from the March 3 primary show former Houston mayor Annise Parker leading the crowded Democratic contest for Harris County judge with roughly 46.62% of the vote, with former Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer at about 37.29% and Matt Salazar at 16.1%, according to local outlets reporting complete but unofficial results. Houston Public Media and FOX26 report the top two will advance to a runoff, with Houston Public Media identifying May 26 as the runoff date.

On the Republican side, a six-candidate primary appears headed to a May runoff after former Harris County treasurer Orlando Sanchez picked up about 26.5% and businessman Warren Howell about 20.8%, with GOP candidate Marty Lancton narrowly behind at 20.6%, Houston Public Media reported. Sanchez told ABC13 he entered election day confident but “not overly confident” and that, with six candidates in the race, he “expected it to go to a runoff, which will be held in May.”

Houston Public Media noted the two party runoff winners will face off in the November general election for the open Harris County judge’s seat; Ballotpedia lists the general election date as November 3, 2026. The Harris County judge serves as presiding officer of Commissioners Court, head of county emergency management and the county’s budget officer, a responsibility FOX26 emphasized when outlining the office’s duties.

The March returns arrive in the wake of incumbent Lina Hidalgo’s 2025 announcement that she would not seek a third term. ABC13 and other local outlets said both Parker and Sanchez told reporters they plan to lean on their experience in office as they pivot to runoff campaigns.

Fundraising figures released alongside the returns show Parker drew roughly $416,000 in the latest reporting cycle, Houston Public Media reported. That outlet said Parker trailed only Marty Lancton among the nine primary-era fundraisers in cash raised but had about 115 more individual donations than Lancton. Parker’s reported top contributions included $20,000 from Gilbert Garcia and two $10,000 donations from Ken Bohan and Theldon Branch III, Houston Public Media reported.

Across the county line in Fort Bend County, ABC13 reported an easier night for Republicans: Daniel Wong was projected to win the GOP nomination for county judge with about 54% of the vote. Fort Bend Democrats face a runoff after Dexter McCoy led with 40.4% and Rachelle Carter received 18.9%. ABC13 also reported incumbent Fort Bend Judge KP George came in last on the Republican ticket after switching from the Democratic party following two criminal charges; the outlet did not provide details of those charges in its summary.

Community Impact published an early, hyperlocal snapshot that, in its headline, indicated Richard Vega leads the Precinct 2 commissioner Republican primary; that precinct-level claim did not include vote totals in the larger outlets’ excerpts and remains part of the early, unofficial picture. Local election officials must certify results before they become final, and the contests will move toward May runoffs that will determine the November matchups for the seat vacated by Hidalgo.