Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo tries to win re-election but faces a challenge from Republican Alexandra . Hegars claim is a repeat of a fight thatalready played outbetween the comptroller and Harris County last August. Dist Mealer Hidalgo W-I We made it through the 2022 election, the first post-Trump off-year election, with Democrats still in charge in Harris County. JP8 46,854 29,698 2,230 CC4 48.96% 51.04% This story is mostly about Ted Cruz and whether he might run for President again in 2024; the tone of the story is that he probably wont. HD131 6,114 24,275 906 The FBI declined comment for this story. None of the other Texas cities where decriminalization initiatives have been approved Elgin, Denton, San Marcos and Austin has faced litigation. Have I got that right? I think we need to fully implement it and if the state slaps our hands back, we know where we are, McGee said. 1 resource, and that benefits all voters, said Jennifer Doinoff, Hays County elections administrator. HD147 20.96% 76.35% 2.69% 0.00% Not to be needlessly pedantic here believe me, this is extremely needed pedanticism but if they went to another location then by definition their vote wasnt suppressed because they did in fact vote. HD145 30.56% 65.38% 4.06% HD144 11,869 13,567 682 4 We will have a couple of Houston referenda on the ballot this November so the higher end is more likely to me, but there is a range and a lower end is possible as well. Three candidates running against them were more than happy to talk to us. It is believed that the purpose of these suits is to drag out the cases, have judges dip into personal resources, and be exhausted financially and emotionally by the time of their next race. STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUDICIAL EVALUATIONS - COOK COUNTY 2022 PRIMARY ELECTION JUNE 28, 2022 . Ted Heap, Constable Precinct 5 11 Cause No. During each election year, the HBA distributes a Judicial Preference Poll before the general election, asking members to indicate their preferences for judicial candidates in contested races. JP8 59.30% 37.90% 2.80%, Dist Paxton Garza Lib Ill get to the money issue in a minute. Under Hegars calculations, Heaps annualized budget would have been about $48.9 million over 12 months nearly $2.3 million more than the $46.7 million figure calculated by the county. I have no idea. Committee appointments are expected to be made in the next couple of weeks. ============================= JP2 41.97% 52.90% 3.88% 1.25% Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, the lone Republican on the court, voted against the measure. Judge Payne is represented by John Raley. The other notable thing is that with the lone exception of JP/Constable Precinct 5, Hidalgo still carried every district Beto carried. ============================= The ones who get to wait until 2026 are Brandon Creighton (SD04), Mayes Middleton (SD11), Borris Miles (SD13), and Lois Kolkhorst (SD18). There were 1,276 responses to the online Judicial Evaluation, representing 13.6% of eligible HBA members. Of the other six races for statewide executive offices, three were similar in nature to the Governors race and three were friendlier to Republicans. So, you know, a banner Monday. Of the bright red counties, six of them are small, and while they have steadily become redder over the years, the net effect is fairly small. HD149 38.56% 58.67% 2.77% ======================= st vincent de paul thrift store near Howrah West Bengal how to sign in on minecraft bank of america plasma loyalty card samantha peer teacher onlyfans best corded . Emphasis mine, and see here for the previous entry. All eyes were on Sen. John Whitmire, a longtime Democrat who has announced plans to leave the chamber to run for Houston mayor after the session, and Judith Zaffirini, a Laredo Democrat who is second in seniority to Whitmire. The 2022 General Election is being held on November 8. HD146 21.45% 76.29% 2.26% At Tuesdays Denton City Council work session, Police Chief Doug Shoemaker was also on hand during Hensleys presentation to answer questions and reassured council members that misdemeanor amounts of marijuana would continue to be a low priority for police. State Representatives. JP3 34,843 42,072 1,833 Debra Lehrmann (incumbent) TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 5. As happened last fall, Hegar and County Administrator David Berry have used different methods to project out Heaps seven-month budget to a full year. Sylvia Trevino, Constable Precinct 6 Jan 25th, 2022. by Charles Kuffner. Experience: Sherlene Cruz has worked 16 years in the criminal justice system. HD132 36,340 23,537 Ive speculated about potential future candidacies for people myself, its a fun and mostly harmless activity. 2023-00958; Rory Olsen v. Judge Jason Cox. Carla Wyatt, County Treasurer, Alexandra Mealer, County Judge HD143 9,087 15,412 6 The 2022 Texas Primary Election is fast approaching. Judge Weems is represented by John Raley. Democrats would still be running the elections. There is no justification for denying the public information about a controversy just because it involves litigation, Aleshire said. In Galveston and to a lesser extent Waller, the growth has been in redder areas, and we need to find the allies there who likely feel isolated and help them connect with and amplify each other. CC1 26.37% 71.13% 2.50% Thats a lot! Important 2022 Election Dates. HD131 19.84% 80.16% Respondents have no discretion to force voters to approve or reject, all or nothing, charter provisions dealing with issues as varied as theft, graffiti, or prohibiting cooperation with state agencies regulating abortion providers, wrote attorneyEric Opiela, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas. Taylor alleged 80 percent of polling places with paper shortages on Nov. 8 were in areas considered Republican strongholds. What I wonder about is whether there will be much appetite for that kind of spending in future races. Harris County Republican Party | 8588 Katy Freeway, Suite 445 Houston, TX 77024 | (713) 838-7900 . JP2 44.48% 55.52% Judge Williams is represented by Anthony Drumheller. Once again, Comptroller Hegar has abused his authority, the county attorney said. On the ballot this year are . How much of that is the lack of a third choice versus some other consideration I couldnt say, but you can see it in the numbers. Dist Hegar% Dudding% Lib% HD145 14,698 29,537 These dates are subject to changes from the 2021 legislative session. I also believe that Conroe is starting to become like Sugar Land, a small but growing urban center of its own that we ought to see as such, and seek to build alliances there. Hillary got 700K votes in 2016. JP5 52.55% 47.43% 0.02% HD126 61.80% 36.07% 2.12% Mealer 198,286 336,434 40.19% 56.59% Third party candidates accounted for over 16K votes in the Governors race, while the write-in candidate for County Judge got 241 total votes. JP2 41.00% 55.97% 3.03% HD146 8,716 31,720 927 581 JP5 147,814 135,680 You might have thought in looking at the numbers for 2016 and 2018 that a split result could occur, given the wide ranges. JP2 22,268 28,432 1,306 7 On the other side of that, you can see that Judge Hidalgo left it all on the field. Cuellar maintains that he was never the target of the investigation and will ultimately be cleared of wrongdoing. The tens of thousands of residents who signed this petition understood that each of these police reforms are part of a comprehensive approach to public safety, and we expect to vote on them in the same way they were presented as one unified package, Act 4 SA Executive Director Ananda Tomas said in a statement Sunday night. HD126 61.88% 36.32% 1.80% 0.00% CC1 27.46% 72.54% JP5 47.07% 50.22% 2.71% Look at these three posts from the archives on this topic, and note that even though they span a decade, the same names kept coming up, with certain attorneys being closely connected to certain judges and not at all coincidentally their campaign coffers. Its big, its hard to do, and most importantly now everything that goes wrong is your fault. Hidalgo got 50.78% of the vote, which is 3.25 points less than Beto. State and county Republican officials have made several attempts to cast doubt on the results of the November elections in Harris County. Most years we dont get the data to differentiate between votes cast by residents of Houston and votes cast by Harris County non-Houston residents. HD147 21.87% 78.13% . That would mean that the Republicans netted about 1600 votes, which I need not point out is even farther away from closing the gap. We can speculate all week, but theres only one way to find out. A proposed City Charter amendment that seeks to ban police from using no-knock warrants and chokeholds, as well as expand the citys cite-and-release policy for low-level, nonviolent crimes, has enough certified signatures supporting it to appear on the ballot in San Antonios May municipal election. I just feel like were in new territory, said Kim Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter, Lexi, at Robb Elementary School. Published February 28, 2022. HD132 36,189 24,576 The following is a list of candidates in judicial races on the ballot for the March 1 primary elections in Harris County. Phony Defunding Claims II: Electric Boogaloo, AG argues for separating that San Antonio criminal justice reform proposition into multiple questions, November 2022 election, adding to an array of GOP litigation. The Record-Chronicle requested demographic information on the citations from the Denton police Tuesday afternoon. That resolution passed overwhelmingly with little debate or fanfare. My office will be involved in the case every step of the way to ensure peoples votes are protected.". HD145 30.61% 66.55% 2.83% 0.01% Were the only city in the whole state that sends them out and [posts them] online, Atkinson said. HD133 31,901 26,700 1,898 The best the Uvalde parents can hope for is a state ban on straw-person sales, which is already a federal crime. No one cares about that, but because it is a story about 2024 and Ted Cruz will be running for re-election to the Senate in 2024, it contains the following bits of speculation about who might run against him: Cruzs focus on his Senate bid follows a tough 2018 reelection fight against former Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke, who lost by 2.6 points. While Hillary Clinton carried Fort Bend County by 17K votes, downballot candidates didnt do as well, and all four Dems trailed there by a little bit. Given the extremely cozy relationship between sleazeballs like Gary Polland and his machine for endorsing and financially supporting Republican judges, that was no surprise. Solicitor General Judd Stone submitted a letter to the court Wednesday callingthe proposala grab-bag of provisions that flagrantly violates a state law prohibiting multi-subject charter amendments. San Antonio had previously passed an ordinance that recommends that no local funds be used to investigate criminal charges related to abortions. 2019 Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire Results. In counties like Brazoria and Montgomery, population growth near the Harris County border has led to some burgeoning Democratic turf, mostly around Pearland for the former and around the Woodlands for the latter. As the title says, what do we need to do to hold onto them? HD131 6,081 24,219 829 1 But the Republicans in the Lege dont care about that. What Im really aiming for is a net of at least 300K for Biden in Harris County; he was at plus 218K in 2020, after Beto was at plus 200K in 2018. January 10, 2023. I went back to 2012 to add in another Presidential year data point. If anyone on the Republican side thought that the other Democratic judges might become collateral damage, theres no evidence to support that. CD29 33.51% 66.46% 0.03% HD135 42.95% 57.05% PREVIOUSLY HD138 52.82% 44.15% 3.03% Judicial Poll Results. HD127 60.65% 39.35% 12 Cause No. Rep. Allred may see it differently, but I think hes not likely to make this leap. HD145 26.98% 69.86% 3.16% FOX 26 has a list of these candidates and their biggest priorities if elected. Judicial candidates. HD129 38,169 25,015 1,149 3 GOP leaders are discussing a range of election security measures, from higher penalties for voter fraud to broader power for the attorney general to prosecute election crimes. In a statement, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said his office will keep a close eye on Lunceford's election contest. The county eventually began paying court-appointed attorneys hourly. Stay tuned. HD131 18.69% 78.34% 2.96% The Dems in the first four races we analyzed all topped 53% of the vote in Harris County. JP1 69,316 114,700 JP7 12,214 64,137 2,011 2 Burgess 940 14,710 5,207 5,403 Abbott 175,533 314,728 35.04% 52.34% Even under the most ludicrously generous assumptions, the math just plain doesnt work. Experience: Hilary Unger worked more than two-and-a-half decades as an Assistant District Attorney, as a public defender, and as a private attorney in both New York and Texas where she helped economically-disadvantaged clients. Those members left for Washington, D.C., for weeks to stop the House from being able to do business in an effort to prevent passage of the bill. Weve just had multiple winning candidates get sued by their losing opponents, and many of them were left scrambling to pay for lawyers to defend themselves in court. HD134 34,947 43,974 Before coming to the Chronicle, Jen spent three years covering City Hall for Houston's NPR station. Each of them should be deeply embarrassed and these claims should not be taken seriously by the public, said Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee. primary, Frederick, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of US-15, Philadelphia Eagles WR Zach Pascal robbed at gunpoint in Maryland, ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING: Man shot in apparent accidental shooting in Houston, police investigating, CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Houston homeowner speaks out after being victim of terrifying attempted carjacking, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, Mother who drowned her 2 children, hid bodies under a neighbor's home given 40-year prison sentence, Watch: Fishermen spot sharks in huge feeding frenzy off Louisiana coast, Mother arrested after 4-year-old found outside alone, 1-year-old found laying in soiled linen, Strong to severe storms possible Thursday evening across SE Texas. Like I said, this is plenty good enough for these purposes. 3 Cause No. CC1 26.13% 71.58% 2.28% 0.01% HD145 14,410 29,702 JP7 15.62% 84.38% If passed, the charter also would codify the ban the San Antonio Police Departments current leadership has placed on police chokeholds and no-knock warrants. HD150 57.96% 39.56% 2.47% Hudspeth 4,660 22,009 0 9,952 In a unanimous vote on Thursday, Bell County commissioners agreed to file a lawsuit against Killeen over the citys adoption of Proposition A, the ballot measure that was approved by voters in November to decriminalize marijuana in Killeen. ====================== Plus, the idea of it makes me gag, so its just as well. HD135 17,116 22,492 963 1 His claims, which the story notes he does not try to verify, arent worth the effort to copy and paste, but this tidbit caught my eye: Without citing any examples of disenfranchised voters, the petition asks the court to declare the elections office made mistakes substantial enough to affect the outcome of the election. HD127 41,603 24,533 5 HD149 12,278 18,681 882 Finally, in regard to Sen. Gutierrez and Rep. Talarico, I mean, Im sure someone mentioned their names as possibilities. HD141 17.53% 79.15% 3.32% Houston/not Houston. Court Judges who have opponents in the Dem. No big mystery here. Monday is the first day of early voting in the Texas March 1 primary election. A lot of them just went to another polling place. 2022 General Election Democratic Candidates. C Crim 522,321 534,175 49.44% 50.56% HD145 13,535 29,065 1,855 677 Experience: Gemayel Haynes was prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorneys Office in the Justice of the Peace, Misdemeanor, Juvenile, and Felony Trial Divisions. HD143 34.51% 62.22% 3.28% Democrats acknowledge that Texas has not been an easy state for the party. 1. HD144 45.24% 54.76% ====================== New rules get adopted each session, this can always be revisited in the future. March 1, 2022 - Primary Election. Thats how it is for the judges. HD132 60.84% 39.16% Dist Buck% Kleberg% Grn% W-I% There were more people who skipped these races than did so for Railroad Commissioner, the last of the statewide executive offices, but not that much more. After Hensleys presentation, council member Jesse Davis mentioned that it has been an all-or-nothing-type situation with the decriminalization issue and suggested finding a middle ground by implementing parts of the ordinance that doesnt violate state law. Download this stock image: FILE -Pam Gaskin talks about her mail-in primary election ballot at her home Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, in Missouri City, Texas. I think that thats still going to be a conversation with City Council.. The past obstruction on Commissioners Court to implementing reforms like this has been eliminated thanks to the 2022 election. Alexandra del Moral Mealer for Harris County Judge (@AlexMealer4HCTX) November 9, 2022 Mealer was a combat veteran who moved to Houston after serving in the U.S. Army. The two glaring exceptions to this are HDs 133 and 134, both wealthy, well-educated, predominantly white districts that, in keeping with recent trends, are a lot more Democratic than they used to be. Matthew Dexter is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. I was invited to this meeting because of the effort to create and carry out block walking events. As these parents know all too well, its just a matter of time before some other group of parents are in the same unfathomable position theyre in now. The League of Women Voters of Texas in astatement last weeksaid such legislation, if passed, is fraught for potential abuse, infringes on the rights of county governments to select their own elections administrator, and demeans the meaning of local governance.. Elizabeth Buss is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. We have 26-pay-period accounting and Comptroller Hegar should know that, the judge said. Right now, we are focused on implementing new systems to promote the efficiency with which our office runs elections, Tatum said in a statement. I do know that at least one more loser has filed a losers contest, but I dont care to give any of this any more validity. I spent a lot of time obsessing over these four super-close races two years ago, and dont have anything new to say. JP4 173,366 120,182 6,806 For sure, its hard to imagine much money spent on Republicans locally in 2024. UPDATE: I have since received an email from Mike Doyle, the current president of the Harris County Democratic Lawyers Association, announcing his candidacy as well. The debate is about the extent, not the existence. Stan Stanart is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. HD148 15,383 20,840 1,065 HD126 61.92% 38.08% HD147 9,761 36,482 Something like this was surely inevitable. The Evaluation opened on Oct. 21 and closed on Nov. 8. Im going to look back at the four most recent elections to see if we can put some numbers on that. HD130 47,660 18,606 13 2504 Rusk St. #110 Hidalgos opponent Alexandra del Moral Mealer. HD127 59.88% 36.80% 2.33% 0.99% And finally, with a less-predatory state government, we could have a reasoned discussion and admit there are problems that could be fixed with some help from that state government and Lege find ways to do elections better that arent predicated on punishment and the exercise of raw power. In the meantime, let me know what you think. HD131 5,857 24,875 694 The chart below is the vote percentage for both parties in each of those races individually. Austin, TX, November 3, 2022 Down-ballot races are not typically a hot election topic, but public concerns over rising crime have pushed Harris County's 68 judicial races to the forefront this cycle.. Of these, 60 are for various county criminal, civil, and family courts; four are for appellate court benches;and four are for justices of the peace. We are subject to the authorities of those that appointed us, said Remi Garza, Cameron County elections administrator and the Texas Association of Elections Administrators legislative committee co-chair. HD134 39.36% 57.68% 1.90% 1.05% Theres a lack of clubs, and thus neighborhood-based outreach, in a lot of traditional Democratic areas. Ed Gonzalez, Sheriff Endorsements: Houston Police Officers Union for the Democratic Primary, Campaign website: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077652602633. Unfortunately, more than 20 other election contests are still pending in Harris Countymost of those races had greater vote margins than Mays. Neither he nor Ted Heap seems to have gotten any better at math or more truthful in general, so most likely this will play out in similar fashion. She now manages McTorry Law, PLLC, where she is a criminal defense attorney. The dropoff in votes cast for each party from appellate to probate, and from county civil to probate, is about the same; the dropoff from district civil to probate favors the Dems. Judge Hidalgo is represented by Neal Manne. This Chron story is about Dan Patrick telling a group of local Republicans that the 2022 election should be re-done in Harris County, because he has nothing better to say or do with his time. JP8 64.30% 35.70%, Dist Scott Wyatt The charter changes would essentially direct the police department not to spend resources pursuing most abortion and low-level marijuana possession cases. See here for the background. 17 Cause No. Harris County courthouse. CC2 93,611 106,606 5,426 Putting them in the position of oversight would definitely change the dynamic.. The same is true for 2018, except with the exact opposite result: 2018 bad counties 83K to 90K And that brings us to Julian Castro, whose name has certainly been mentioned as a possible statewide candidate before. HD144 11,375 14,337 662 If I were the New York Times, Id spend the next six months visiting brunch counters in those districts to talk to more-in-sadness-than-in-anger Mealer voters, who will turn out to have been almost uniformly Ed Emmett voters in 2018 but who will insist that they really wanted to support Hidalgo, they largely agreed with her on how she handled the pandemic and all, but for reasons they cant quite articulate they just couldnt. Ground Game Texas championed a similar proposal approved by Austin voters last May that decriminalized weed in that city. Of those 52 cases, Hensley pointed out that 23 arrests were for primary violations other than marijuana possession. Maybe such people exist and Republicans have been successful at keeping them all quiet until the lawsuits are heard, who can say. They may have drawn some support from people who otherwise voted Republican, or they got more people who might have been skipping other judicial races to push their buttons. As for Whitmire, what this means is that if hes elected Mayor this year, things will be messy in SD15 the next year. The Elections Administrator of Harris County has the responsibility of carrying out statutory electoral functions outlined by federal and state laws. Michelle Fraga is represented by Elizabeth Alvarez. HD133 35,705 23,303 JP2 44.36% 55.62% 0.02% 2023-00934; Brian Staley v. Judge Monica Singh. The Evaluation results for each judge appear on a separate page. 2022 Harris + FB 9K to 38K. CD18 30.13% 69.85% 0.03% HD131 5,886 24,670 933 The Harris County Elections Administrators Office also issued a statement, saying it readily has responded to requests that do not require documents subject to the litigation, and has sought an opinion from the attorney generals office on those that do. HD128 70.40% 29.60% HD146 19.52% 77.78% 2.70% You can see the four races that Dems lost, one district criminal court and three county criminal courts. With the exception of County Judge, which is the first county office to appear, the other county races come after any county judicial elections, which we know in a non-presidential year is another two dozen, on top of all of the state judicial races youve just slogged through. JP7 14.44% 83.28% 2.28% Its also why there was such fierce opposition to the creation of such an office in Harris County even though most other large counties in Texas had them. Marilyn and Tenesha have pro bono attorneys but the others are not allowed to be represented pro bono due to conflicts of interest. JP7 12,417 64,481 15 Cause No. As of today, the office has not received an opinion on how to proceed with these particular public information requests. Christian Menefee, Harris County Attorney Anything is possible. JP3 47.74% 52.22% 0.04% To me, the most likely explanation is that the most visible Republicans, the ones most likely to loudly and visibly stake out unpopular and divisive positions and yes, this means unpopular, or at least less popular with Republicans, with opposing marijuana reform and expanded gambling and rape/incest exceptions for abortion are losing votes that their lower profile/less visibly extreme colleagues are not losing. Im just eyeballing everything and not being too particular about it, this is close enough for these purposes. Jack Cagle (SPAC), County Commissioner, Precinct 4 It would also ostensibly ban the use of chokeholds by police, ban the use of no-knock warrants, create additional requirements to obtain a search warrant, and remove the officers discretion in whether to issue a citation or arrest for some low-level crimes. The county will now have to spend substantial resources handling these contests, time that could instead be spent serving the people of Harris County, added County Attorney Menefee. None of us. Beto versus the spread SD17 64,692 46,518 22 ============================== I believe Ground Game Texas is on the right side of the issue and as noted Id vote for one of their propositions if it were before me, but the power imbalance is what it is, and theres not a clear way around it. Which would be so outlandishly unlikely as to appear to be its own conspiracy. Despite appearing so much lower on the ballot, the per-district vote totals in these races are about the same for the two major parties. My point is that 10-20 years ago, as Democrats were starting to assert power in Harris County, it was still quite common for Dems in the then-dark red areas to believe they were the only ones like themselves there. Heres County Attorney Menefees Twitter post, with a copy of the letter to May from Speaker Phelan: NEW: Speaker Phelan dismissed losing House candidate Mike Mays election contest against @Jon_RosenthalTX because he didnt pay the required fees. [1] The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas has jurisdiction in Harris County. The good news is the vast majority of the law has actually been researched not only by me and the county attorney, (but) the city attorney in Harker Heights had the opportunity to review the matter legally and so has the city attorney in Killeen, Garza said. In the increasingly blue Harris County, more Republicans voted early (105,482) than Democrats (96,725). Collier 312,803 273,337 62.81% 45.64% She is in charge of half of all investigations and pending cases in Harris County where a child under the age of 14 has been killed. HD142 8,984 24,532 839 4 JP1 63,938 115,819 5,264 2,359 CC4 115,688 120,613 JP1 64,874 118,648 3,973 11 But even if they miss that goal, voters can expect to see the slate of proposed changes, collectively known as the Justice Charter, to the city charter on the November 2023 ballot because the signatures collected are valid for six months. JP7 16.24% 83.76% In an email obtained by Crafts attorneys and posted on the Harris County District Clerks website, Harris County Republican Party Chair Cindy Siegel gave candidates the partys estimate of disenfranchised voters.