Six Republican candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge.
The six candidates filed to run for a seat that had been occupied by a Republican until Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo defeated then-incumbent Republican Ed Emmett in 2018, receiving 49.72% of the vote, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The setup
The candidates are Patrick “Marty” Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association; former Houston City Council member Orlando Sanchez; Air Force veteran Warren Howell; Piney Point Village Mayor Aliza Dutt; retired member of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Oscar Gonzalez; and Spring Branch business owner and resident George Harry Zoes.
Zooming out
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo formally announced in September that she will not seek reelection for a third term as judge of Texas’ largest county.
Hidalgo has served as county judge since 2019 and was reelected after winning the county seat during the November 2022 general election. Her current four-year term ends Dec. 31, 2026.
What residents should know
Early voting runs Feb. 17-Feb. 27. Election day is March 3.
Community Impact's goal with election Q&As is to provide a side-by-side, equitable resource for Texas voters to review candidates' perspectives as they prepare to head to the polls.
To ensure that candidates are the ones defining their positions in Community Impact's voter guide, if candidates did not complete the questionnaire after multiple attempts to contact them, the website reads "candidate did not respond to questionnaire before press time." Candidates were informed of this policy.
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
