With results in from early voting and from 257 of 797 Election Day polling centers in Harris County, Republican Tom Ramsey is in line to win the race for Precinct 3 Commissioner with 52.4% of the votes, or 205,829 votes.
In a Facebook post, Ramsey said his opponent Michael Moore called him to concede the race.
"I am proud and excited to be the next Harris County commissioner for [Precinct] 3, and I’m looking forward to working for a better precinct," Ramsey said in the post.
Prior to calling Ramsey, Moore acknowledged in a virtual watch party that it would be tough to surmount the gap in votes between the two candidates that materialized after early voting. The vast majority of ballots in Harris County—more than 1.4 million—were cast during the early voting period this election.
"We ran a good campaign, worked hard, built it from the ground up," Moore said. "I thank everybody out there that helped so much."
Ramsey will join Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle as the second Republican on the five-member court, along with Democrat commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia, and Democrat County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
Democrats will maintain a majority on the court, which has made multiple significant decisions on a 3-2 partisan line over the past two years, including a recent decision to convert the Harris County Toll Road Authority into a Limited Government Corporation, a move that Ramsey criticized in a recent candidate forum.
In a Q&A with Community Impact Newspaper, Ramsey has also said he will serve as a voice on the court for lower taxes.
Results are updated as of 10:40 p.m. and are unofficial until they are canvassed and certified by the county clerk. Under Texas election law, the clerk accepts and counts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 4 if they were sent from inside the U.S. or Nov. 9 if they were sent from outside the U.S.
Posted 7:30 p.m.
With early-voting results published in Harris County, Republican Tom Ramsey leads Democrat Michael Moore in the race for Harris County Precinct 3 commissioner with 52.4% of the votes, or 201,077 votes. Moore trails with 182,626 votes.
Ramsey defeated two candidates to win the Republican primary in March, earning 70.5% of the votes in the race. Moore competed against six other candidates in the March Democratic primary and eventually won a runoff election against Democrat Diana Martinez Alexander in July.
Moore has made flooding a central focus on his campaign, arguing Harris County will need to go out for another bond referendum to get ahead of flooding needs that have gone by the wayside for years. In a Q&A with Community Impact Newspaper, Moore said his other priorities would include repairing the economy, upgrading roads and transportation options to reduce congestion, improving county health care services and protecting the environment.
"I will also work to make county government more efficient, transparent and more responsive to those we serve," he said.
Ramsey ran on a platform of improving safety and lowering taxes. In an October Q&A with Community Impact Newspaper, Ramsey lauded a move by Republican Commissioners Steve Radack and Jack Cagle to prevent the court's Democratic majority from raising the tax rate in 2019. He also said he would commit to improving infrastructure and preventing flooding.
Across all of Harris County, roughly 1.4 million votes were cast during the early-voting period. An estimated 200,000 Election Day ballots had been cast at the time polls closed on Election Day, according to the Harris County Clerk's Office.
Precinct 3 covers the western part of Harris County, including the Katy and Cypress areas, as well as western parts of the city of Houston and the city of Bellaire.
The Harris County Commissioners Court is composed of five members, including four precinct commissioners and the county judge. Commissioners serve four-year terms and earn an annual salary of $182,5562, according to the 2020 Texas Association of Counties Salary Survey.
The Precinct 3 commissioner spot is currently held by Radack, a Republican who has served as commissioner for more than 30 years and announced his retirement last December. Radack and Cagle have both since endorsed Ramsey for the seat.
Meanwhile, Moore has picked up endorsements from the court's two Democratic members, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who is running unopposed to retain his seat in this election.
With a victory, Moore would tilt the balance of the Commissioners Court even more in favor of Democrats, given them a 4-1 advantage with Democrat Lina Hidalgo serving as county judge. If Ramsey wins, the 3-2 balance in favor of Democrats under the current court would be maintained.
Results are updated as of 7:30 p.m. and are unofficial until they are canvassed and certified by the county clerk. Under Texas election law, the clerk accepts and counts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by Nov. 4 if they were sent from inside the U.S. or Nov. 9 if they were sent from outside the U.S.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
