Parker weighing county judge bid

Ex-mayor could face Hidalgo in ’26

Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker has been talking to friends and supporters in recent months about making another run for elected office.

Parker, a Democrat who led City Hall from 2010 to 2016, is considering a run for Harris County judge in 2026, according to two people who have spoken to her directly about her interest in the job. The Houston Chronicle granted the sources anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The former mayor said she has not finalized any plans about her future. She is leaving her job at the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund in December and said she will assess her options after departing the political action committee, which is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ candidates for elected office nationwide.

“I don’t know that I’m ready to retire, but I do know that I hate being on the road,” Parker told the Chronicle. “I have to find something that fits my skill set and allows me to be here in the greater Houston area. I’m going to keep my options open.”

She added that while she had not made a decision about running, the county judge position has an appeal.

“I would certainly be open to (county judge), but you know, that’s two years away. Two years is an eternity in politics.”

Lina Hidalgo, the Democratic incumbent in that office, is eligi

ble for reelection in 2026 and remains widely popular among party voters, public polls have shown.

Despite the job title, the county judge does not serve a judicial role. Hidalgo serves as the chief executive of the Harris County government, with more constituents — 4.8 million — than 26 states.

Primary elections for the seat will be held in March 2026, with a general election in November. It is not unusual for campaigns to kick off at the beginning of the preceding year, which would allow Parker to start fundraising and organizing a campaign as she exits the Victory Fund.

It is unclear whether Parker would challenge Hidalgo in a primary or if the former mayor is exploring a run in case Hidalgo decides not to seek a third term. There has been speculation that Hidalgo may run for statewide office or eye a federal appointment if President Joe Biden wins in November.

One of the two sources said Parker is likely to run even if Hidalgo does seek reelection, suggesting the former mayor is interested in taking on the incumbent Democrat.

Hidalgo has energized progressives in Harris County, moving to broaden the scope of county government with efforts such as early child care, housing stability and criminal justice reform. Those efforts, and Hidalgo’s tenacious political style, have likewise turned many Republicans against her.

The Hidalgo factor

Either way, Parker’s interest in the position could preview a big shift in local politics. If the former mayor joins the race, it will set up a marquee Democratic primary fight between two widely popular candidates or will mean that Hidalgo has left the position for something else.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston, said a primary matchup between the two would set up a generational fight that could expose intraparty battles that have played out in private.

“That would be stunning to see,” he said.

Hidalgo, a Latina, garnered national headlines for her upset win six years ago, and her approach to policymaking has made her a champion for many young, progressive voters. Parker, meanwhile, made history as the first gay mayor of a major U.S. city, branding herself as a moderate executive focused on government efficiency.

Hidalgo’s office did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Mike Doyle, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party, declined to comment on the potential matchup between the two Democrats.

Hidalgo shocked Houston’s political scene in 2018 when she defeated longtime Republican County Judge Ed Emmett in her first campaign for office. Parker had considered a run that year as well, but she said she did not want to challenge Emmett, a friend who was not seen as politically vulnerable at the time, despite his eventual defeat. Parker and Emmett are co-teaching a course on public service together at Rice University this fall.

Hidalgo has been lauded as a rising star in Democratic politics, though her reputation has taken a hit in recent years. She narrowly won a second term in a hard-fought campaign in 2022, winning by fewer than 2 percentage points against Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer.

Hidalgo has frequently sparred with members of her own party on Commissioners Court and at the district attorney’s office. Three of her staffers were indicted by District Attorney Kim Ogg in relation to a COVID-19 outreach contract in 2022.

Ogg’s office has alleged that Hidalgo’s team routed the contract to a politically connected donor. Hidalgo has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.

Ogg — who was trounced in a Democratic primary of her own in March — announced last week that she was forwarding those cases to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.

Rottinghaus said he does not think those controversies would harm Hidalgo’s political prospects in a primary.

“Hidalgo’s got so much juice with Democratic voters; they love her,” Rottinghaus said. “I don’t know that any of those sorts of scandals are massively debilitating.”

Formidable foe

If Hidalgo opts not to run for a third term, the open nominating process to replace her would likely draw more candidates than Parker.

The former mayor, though, would make a formidable front-runner. She has elected experience in executive office and won the mayor’s office with a bipartisan coalition. Parker also boasts a large fundraising base — locally, from her elected history at City Hall, and nationally, where she has hit the stump for LGBTQ candidates across the country.

During Parker’s sixyear tenure as mayor, she pushed incremental improvements to city services while navigating a recession. Her efforts to marshal public and nonprofit resources to reduce homelessness, a strategy continued under former Mayor Sylvester Turner, has won plaudits nationwide for its success.

She also extended curbside recycling to all singlefamily homes and strengthened protections for historic preservation.

Parker endured some high-profile losses, most notably on an effort to extend nondiscrimination protections. That ordinance, known as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, was roundly rejected by voters in 2015.

If Parker does decide to seek elected office again, there are limited options outside of the county. Term limits prevent her from running for the city’s top elected positions, which could have kept her local. Parker served as an at-large City Council member and the city controller before winning the mayor’s office.

And while some of Parker’s supporters encouraged her to run for Mayor John Whitmire’s newly open seat in the Texas Senate, a legislative role would have required her to spend significant time outside of Houston while serving in the minority in the GOP-dominated state Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Despite the distance, Parker said she looked at statewide positions in 2022, including land commissioner and comptroller, but could not see a viable path to victory.

If Democrats make unexpected inroads statewide in this November’s elections, it is possible that she could pivot back to one of those races.