Overview
- Unofficial results reported May 26 show Republican Orlando Sanchez won the GOP runoff by a large margin while Democrat Letitia Plummer narrowly defeated Annise Parker by roughly 2,500 votes.
- The winners will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot to replace Lina Hidalgo as county judge, the official who runs the Office of Emergency Management and presides over the five-member commissioners court.
- Plummer’s campaign said she tested positive for COVID-19 during the runoff period, and Parker has conceded and urged Democrats to unite for the fall contest.
- Candidates frame the race around immediate county challenges, including a projected $129 million shortfall for FY2027, stalled flood-control projects, jail conditions and recent law-enforcement pay raises that have strained the budget.
- Sanchez has campaigned on tax cuts and public safety while Plummer has emphasized jail reform, equity and tighter spending, making the November campaign a choice over competing approaches to county operations and services.