Sarah Grunau/ Houston Public Media
Harris County voters slightly favor former Houston Mayor Annise Parker in the 2026 Harris County Judge election next year, according to the latest University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey.
Parker, a Democrat, served as the city’s mayor from 2010 to 2016. She then led the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a Washington D.C.-based political action committee. She also served as a city council member and city controller.
According to the study, Parker has an 8% net-favorability in the race for Harris County Judge. The study calculated net-favorability by subtracting a candidate or potential candidate’s unfavorability from their favorability.
Other candidates for the position trailed behind Parker with Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer receiving a 2% net favorability for the position, and current Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo receiving a 2% net favorability as well.
Republican Aliza Dutt, the mayor of Piney Point Village — a west Harris County community with just over 3,000 residents — received a -3% net-favorability rating among Harris County voters. The majority of respondents to the survey didn’t know if they would vote for or against Dutt.
Provided/UH Hobby School of Public Affairs
The favorable rating from voters comes more than a month after Parker announced her bid in the 2026 Harris County Judge election. During a press conference announcing her candidacy for the position, Parker said she was born in Harris County, spent her adult life there, and cares “deeply about what happens in this region.”
“Harris County government is about law enforcement,” she said. “It’s about public health. It’s about movement of water, particularly flood prevention. It’s about traffic and transportation, and it’s about making it possible for people to live here safely.”
Hidalgo overall received the lowest net-approval rating based on job performance of any elected Harris County official included in the survey — including all county commissioners, District Attorney Sean Teare, and County Attorney Christian Menefee.
Provided/UH Hobby School of Public Affairs
Hidalgo has not yet revealed whether she intends to seek a third term next year, but her campaign dollars on hand have ballooned from $40,000 to about $600,000 this year. Most of her campaign funds come from refunds for legal services. Parker has raked in more than $92,000, and Dutt has about $246,000 in cash on hand — mostly donations she made to herself.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who has continuously ranked favorably with survey respondents over the years, again topped the ranks with 55% of Harris County registered voters approving of the job Gonzalez does in office.
When survey respondents were asked about the direction of the county, most, about 57%, said they think that the county is headed in the wrong direction. Reflecting previous concerns that residents of Harris County have voiced, respondents also said crime is by far the most important problem facing Harris County today. Behind that ranks the high cost of housing and rising property taxes.
The study, conducted by the University of Houston, polled 2,300 registered voters this month.
At least 40 percent of people who responded to the survey said they believe streets in bad condition and poor-quality sidewalks have a major negative impact on the quality of life in their neighborhood.
The study had an overall margin of error of +/-2.04%.
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