Lina Hidalgo Won’t Seek Reelection as Harris County Judge

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Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo, a progressive Democrat whose surprise election gave her party control of county government for the first time in decades and established her as a rising star, said she will not seek reelection after an eight-year tenure as top executive of texas’ largest county.

In a Monday night interview with Houston’s ABC 13, Hidalgo said she decided to keep her promise of only serving two terms, which she made when she first ran in 2018.

“The first time I was elected I said immediately,’I don’t want to do this for 30 years,'” Hidalgo said, adding that she intends to remain in public service and was not ruling out a run for public office in the future.

After unseating longtime incumbent and moderate Republican Ed Emmett, Hidalgo, than 27, emerged as a prodigy among Texas Democrats, many of whom saw her as a potential statewide contender down the road. Her election helped usher in a Democratic majority that allowed