Democrats win majority of elections in Harris County – Houston Public Media

In the immediate future, Harris County Democrats extended their multiple electoral winning streak in Harris County by taking the positions of sheriff, district attorney, county tax assessor-collector and county commissioner for District 1. Their only loss came in the race for Commissioner of District 3 in a heavily Republican northern tier of the district.

Sheriff

Ed Gonzalez easily won a third term as Harris County Sheriff, defeating former Houston City Councilman Mike Knox 53.13% to 46.87%. Gonzalez, who previously served as a sergeant with the Houston Police Department and as a member of the Houston City Council, is generally considered one of the most popular elected officials in the area. President Joe Biden nominated Gonzalez to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2021, but the nomination stalled in Congress and Gonzalez withdrew his name from consideration in 2022.

“No one goes through life alone, and this is especially true when it comes to campaigns,” Gonzalez said in a statement released after his victory. I am deeply grateful to the voters and volunteers who helped us achieve victory. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. All.”

district attorney

District Attorney Christian Menefee won a second term by a margin of just 50.46% to 49.54%, beating challenger Jacqueline Lucci Smith. Menefee won election as the county’s top civil lawyer for the first time in 2020, defeating incumbent Vince Ryan in the Democratic primary that year. Since then, he has become the county’s face in a number of high-profile legal battles, including environmental lawsuits involving Union Pacific and concrete plants, and a fight against the state government over elections and Harris County Guaranteed Income Pilot Program.

District Tax Collector

Annette Ramirez defeated former District 3 County Commissioner Steve Radack by a margin of 51.12% to 48.88% to become Harris County’s chief tax assessor and registrar of voters. Ramirez is an attorney whose most recent position was as assistant general counsel for Aldine ISD. Among her top priorities, Ramirez said she wants to focus on prioritizing collections from corporations over homeowners, lowering fees for delinquent taxpayers and working with other elected leaders to root out predatory lending practices by tax lien lenders.

County Commissioner for District 1

Commissioner Rodney Ellis easily won a third term representing most of Houston and south-central Harris County on the Commissioners Court, beating Jerry Vander-Lin 71.53% to 28.47%. Ellis is the highest-ranking member of the court, which has shifted from Republican to Democratic control during his tenure. He is generally considered to have a strong influence on county policy, having led initiatives such as the county’s guaranteed income pilot program and efforts to steer flood infrastructure funding toward poorer, historically underserved communities. Ellis previously served as a Texas state senator from 1990 to 2016.

District Commissioner, 3rd Precinct

County Commissioner Tom Ramsey won a second term representing the northern tier of Harris County, defeating Salim Malik, deputy of the 4th Precinct Constable’s Office, by a margin of 64.23% to 35.77%. A civil engineer by training, Ramsey served as mayor of the Village of Spring Valley from 2012 to 2020. Ramsey remains the only Republican on the Harris County Commissioners Court following the defeat of former Commissioner Jack Cagle two years ago. During his four years on the court, he repeatedly clashed with the Democratic majority, especially during the week-long trial. a boycott of the 2022 court hearings to block passage of Democrats’ proposed budget and tax levels..