HOUSTON, Texas — Democrat Letitia Plummer will be the next Harris County judge in Houston, becoming the first African American elected to the county’s top office after Republican Orlando Sanchez conceded Tuesday night.
Sanchez called Plummer to concede a little after 9 p.m. Early unofficial county returns as of about 5 a.m. Wednesday showed Plummer with nearly 62% of the vote to about 38% for Sanchez, according to the Harris County Elections Office.
Plummer, a dentist who has owned a small business for more than 25 years, served on Houston City Council in at-large Position 4, starting in 2020 and leaving in 2025. She stepped down from the council this year to run for the county job, which Democrat Lina Hidalgo has held for seven years.
As county judge, Plummer will preside over Harris County Commissioners Court, the five-member body that runs county operations. The court sets the property tax rate each year, handles road and infrastructure work across the county and decides how to pay for flood control projects.
Plummer ran on four main pledges: keeping people safe, opening up access to health care, making the county cheaper to live in and getting it better prepared for emergencies. She has also said she wants the court’s Democrats and Republicans to work together more after years of fights over flood bond delays, law enforcement pay raises and budget shortfalls, and she has pushed for closer work with the city of Houston and Mayor John Whitmire.
Sanchez, a former Harris County treasurer, campaigned on regular audits of county departments, lower property taxes and spending cuts to close budget gaps.
Two Democrats on the court, Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones, are on track to win new terms, leaving Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey as the lone Republican on the court.
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