Houston and Harris County political races to watch
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Voting starts Nov. 4. Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Politics are again heating up in Houston and Harris County.
Why it matters: Upcoming races to watch include a hotly contested election to replace late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner and another deciding general-election candidates to lead Harris County.
Driving the news: Voters in the 18th Congressional District, a deeply Democratic-leaning district across a large swath of Houston, will vote for their representative during a special election Nov. 4.
- The seat has been vacant since Turner's death in March. Turner, the former Houston mayor, had served in Congress for only two months before he died.
Who's in: The field consists of more than a dozen candidates, including frontrunners Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, state Rep. Jolanda Jones and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.
- The special election will not include a primary. If a candidate does not receive more than 50% of the vote, the winner will be determined in a runoff election.
A few months later, voters will decide Democratic and Republican candidates for Harris County judge in the March 2026 primary elections.
The intrigue: It's unclear if two-term County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, will run for reelection. She told the Houston Chronicle in May 2024 she would seek a third term, but in June she said she would make a formal announcement "in the coming weeks."
So far, the Democratic field includes former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who announced her bid for the Democratic nomination in June, and Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer, who announced she was running for the nomination this month after weeks of speculation.
- Erica Lee Carter — the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee — said she's also planning to run for the Democratic nomination if Hidalgo chooses not to seek reelection.
- Candidates seeking the Republican nomination so far include Piney Point Village Mayor Aliza Dutt, businessman Warren Howell and former Harris County deputy sheriff Oscar Gonzales.