Houston and Harris County political races to watch
Why it matters: Upcoming races to watch include a hotly contested election to replace late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner and another deciding general-election candidates to lead Harris County.
Driving the news: Voters in the 18th Congressional District, a deeply Democratic-leaning district across a large swath of Houston, will vote for their representative during a special election Nov. 4.
The seat has been vacant since Turner's death in March. Turner, the former Houston mayor, had served in Congress for only two months before he died.
Who's in: The field consists of more than a dozen candidates, including frontrunners Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, state Rep. Jolanda Jones and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.
The special election will not include a primary. If a candidate does not receive more than 50% of the vote, the winner will be determined in a runoff election.
A few months later, voters will decide Democratic and Republican candidates for Harris County judge in the March 2026 primary elections.
The intrigue: It's unclear if two-term County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, will run for reelection. She told the Houston Chronicle in May 2024 she would seek a third term, but in June she said she would make a formal announcement"in the coming weeks."
So far, the Democratic field includes former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who announced her bid for the Democratic nomination in June, and Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer, who announced she was running for the nomination this month after weeks of speculation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
22 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Federal authorities investigating former special counsel Jack Smith, who indicted Trump
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Federal officials have opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who indicted then-candidate Donald Trump on felony charges before his election to a second term. The current Office of Special Counsel, traditionally an independent federal agency, on Saturday confirmed the investigation after reporting by other news organizations. Smith was named special counsel by then-Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland to investigate Trump in November 2022 for his actions related to trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden and his hoarding of classified documents at his home in Florida. Trump and his Republican allies, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have — without offering evidence of wrongdoing — accused Smith of violating the Hatch Act, a federal law that bans certain public officials from engaging in political activity. Smith prosecuted two federal cases against Trump and indicted him on multiple felony charges in both. He dropped both cases after Trump won the election in November, as a sitting president is shielded from prosecution according to long-standing Justice Department practice. Smith then subsequently resigned as special counsel. Cotton (R-Ark.) on Wednesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conduct was designed to help then-President Biden and then-Vice Presiedent Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee in last year's race against Trump. Trump is the only felon to ever occupy the White House, having been convicted in May 2024 on 34 criminal counts for fraud related to a hush-money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election, which he also won. The New York Post was first to report on the investigation into Smith. Superville writes for the Associated Press.
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
Secret Service halts ex-director Kimberley Cheatle's security clearance renewal
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle — under fire over the Pennsylvania assassination attempt against President Trump — won't have her top-level security clearance renewed, The Post has learned. The Secret Service decided not to extend Chealte's clearance after opposition from Republicans in Congress, namely Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). 'Director [Sean] Curran has been modernizing the intelligence apparatus within the agency,' a spokesperson told The Post. 'During that process, he has determined that not all former directors will have their clearances renewed.' Advertisement The decision to end Cheatle's security clearance came after RealClearPolitics inquired about Johnson's opposition to renewal, claimed the outlet, which was the first to report the change. Johnson, who helms the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, had probed the Secret Service's failures leading up to the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. 3 Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was at the center of controversy over the security failures preceding the assassination attempt against President Trump. The Washington Post via Getty Images Advertisement 3 Sen. Ron Johnson had opposed Kimberly Cheatle getting her security clearance renewed. AP He had been fiercely critical of Cheatle, who led the agency from 2022 to 2024, before resigning about 10 days after a bullet grazed the president's right ear during a rally in July of last year. 'The U.S. Secret Service sponsors security clearances for all the former directors for their knowledge of operational and national security matters,' a Secret Service spokesperson explained. 'The purpose for this was so the agency could maintain formal and protected communication, including potentially sensitive and classified matters with former officials.' Advertisement Trump later tapped Curran, who previously led his detail, to helm the agency. Cheatle, who was picked by former first lady Jill Biden, has taken heat for a variety of security failures leading up to the chilling attempt on Trump's life. Multiple GOP-led probes into the assassination attempt cited sources who alleged Cheatle's team had turned down Curran's petitions for more security assets during the 2024 cycle. Last month, on the first anniversary of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused her of lying to Congress when she denied accusations she turned down requests for more resources for Trump's security. Advertisement 'Any assertion or implication that I provided misleading testimony is patently false and does a disservice to those men and women on the front lines who have been unfairly disciplined for a team, rather than individual, failure,' she fired back in a statement provided by her attorney. During his second term, Trump has repeatedly moved to ax security clearances for former officials in key posts. In most cases, he's gone further than Curran and outright revoked access. This includes his January executive order to revoke clearances for the infamous 'spies who lied' — the 51 intelligence officials who signed onto a letter claiming The Post's bombshell story on Hunter Biden's laptop had the 'classic earmarks of Russian disinformation.' 3 The Butler, Pa., rally attack marked the closest a gunman had gotten to killing a US president since 1981. AP Despite his terrifying brush with death, Trump has taken a charitable approach to the Secret Service. 'They should have had communications with the local police, they weren't tied in, and they should have been tied in. So there were mistakes made,' Trump told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on Fox News' 'My View' last month. 'But I was satisfied in terms of the bigger plot, the larger plot, I was satisfied,' he added. 'And I have great confidence in these people. I know the people. And they're very talented, very capable.' Advertisement 'But they had a bad day. And I think they'll admit that. They had a rough day.' Last month, the Secret Service faced another security snafu when an agent attempted to sneak his wife onto an Air Force One jet during Trump's trip to Scotland.
Boston Globe
22 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Authorities investigating ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged illegal political activity
Smith prosecuted two federal cases against Republican candidate Trump in the lead-up to the November 2024 presidential election. Smith ultimately dropped the cases — neither one had gone to trial — after Trump was reelected, which would have shielded him from prosecution according to longstanding Justice Department practice. Smith Advertisement Cotton, R-Ark., on Wednesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conduct was designed to help then-President Joe Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris, both Democrats. Biden had dropped his own bid for reelection following his disastrous performance in a campaign debate against Trump and tapped Harris to succeed him on the ticket. Trump won the election. The White House had no immediate comment on the investigation. The New York Post was first to report on the investigation into Smith.
