By , Staff Writer
Downballot elections like the race for Harris County judge often are driven by trends at the top of the ticket, but this year Democratic nominee Letitia Plummer and GOP nominee Orlando Sanchez are pitching platforms somewhat at odds with the dynamic in Texas’ marquee U.S. Senate race.
Plummer, a former Houston City Council member, narrowly upset former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who polls favored for the nomination, in last week’s primary runoffs. On the GOP side, Sanchez easily defeated local businessman Warren Howell.
As Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico works to win independents and moderate Republicans, Plummer is playing to her progressive base. Sanchez, meanwhile, is campaigning for the middle as Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton entrenches himself in the far right.
It’s a trend that University of Houston political lecturer Nancy Sims said could reverse as Plummer and Sanchez approach election day in their bids to succeed Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who is not seeking a third term.
“We’re very influenced by the primary at this moment,” Sims said. “Come September and October, you’re going to see both of them move to the center so that they have a broader appeal.”
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Orlando Sanchez – Making the comeback
Sanchez, 68, cruised through the runoff by capitalizing on the name recognition and experience he garnered through more than two decades serving in or pursuing public office.
Sanchez spent nearly 12 years as Harris County treasurer, serving from 2007 until the Blue Wave swept him out of office. Sanchez also was a Houston City Council member from 1995 to 2001. He ran for mayor in 2001 and 2003, and for city controller in 2019 and 2023.
Sanchez isn’t running as a MAGA firebrand — he knows the type of conservatism Paxton embraces won’t play well with general election voters in Harris County, which has consistently voted for Democrats over the past eight years.
But Republicans have gained ground in recent elections, picking off a few judicial positions in 2024 and recording narrow defeats in other races. Sanchez hopes that, despite political headwinds driven by Trump administration policies, his track record as a grounded, fiscal conservative will win over independents and moderate Democrats.
In Sanchez’s view, “reasonable” voters will unite around his focus on public safety, infrastructure, and keeping property taxes in check.
Commissioners have passed only one notable tax rate increase in recent years, but valuations have steadily climbed, resulting in higher bills for homeowners.
Recent criminal justice reforms have moved to cashless bail for misdemeanor defendants in Harris County. Sanchez doesn’t think someone accused of petty theft should spend 15 days in jail, but he said reform efforts have elevated the voices of the accused above those of crime victims.
“I spent four years as a Harris County probation officer,” Sanchez said. “We understand what works and we understand what doesn’t work, and we need to get back to what works in the criminal justice system.”
Sanchez also wants to change the conduct of Commissioners Court, which he said has been dominated by the combative relationships that have emerged among the court’s four Democrats in recent years. He said he seeks a rational, merits-based discussion.
“These days the tone has been set for a sort of pugilist leader, somebody that swings like a boxing match,” Sanchez said. “Politics has become a cage match, and that’s really not, in my opinion, the design of civil government. I’m just a little fish in a huge pond, but I would like to go back to some kind of a cordial professional discourse.”
