Sarah Grunau/Houston Public Media

Harris County Democrats recently extended their multi-cycle winning streak in Harris County elections, capturing the offices of sheriff, district attorney, county tax assessor-collector and county commissioner for District 1. Their only loss was in the District 3 commissioner race. in the county’s largely Republican northern tier.

Sheriff

Ed Gonzalez easily won a third term as Harris County Sheriff, defeating former Houston City Councilman Mike Knox 53.13% to 46.87%. Gonzalez, who previously served as a Houston Police Department sergeant and Houston City Council member, is generally viewed as one of the most popular elected officials in the county. President Joe Biden nominated Gonzalez to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2021, but the nomination remained with Congress and Gonzalez withdrew his name from consideration in 2022.

“No one gets through life alone, and this is especially true for campaigns,” Gonzalez said after his victory. I am deeply grateful to the voters and volunteers who helped us achieve victory. Thank you All from the bottom of my heart.”

County Prosecutor

Christian Menefee campaign

County Attorney Christian Menefee won a second term over challenger Jacqueline Lucci Smith by a margin of just 50.46% to 49.54%. Menefee won election as the county’s chief legal attorney for the first time in 2020 after defeating incumbent Vince Ryan in the Democratic primary that year. Since then, he has been the face of the county in a number of high-profile legal battles, including environmental cases involving Union Pacific and concrete plants and battles against the state government over elections. Harris County’s guaranteed income pilot program.

District Tax Appraiser-Collector

Annette Ramirez became Harris County’s top tax official and voter registrar, defeating former Precinct 3 County Commissioner Steve Radack by a margin of 51.12% to 48.88%. Ramirez is an attorney whose last position was as assistant general counsel for Aldine ISD. Among his top priorities, Ramirez said he wants to prioritize collections against businesses over homeowners, lower collection fees for delinquent taxpayers and work with other elected leaders to eliminate predatory lending practices by tax lien filers.

District 1 County Commissioner

Commissioner Rodney Ellis handily won a third term on Commissioners Court representing Houston and most of south-central Harris County, besting Gerry Vander-Lyn 71.53% to 28.47%. Ellis is the most senior member of a court that has shifted from Republican to Democratic control during his term. He is generally acknowledged to have had a strong influence on the nation’s policies, spearheading initiatives such as the region’s guaranteed income pilot program and efforts to direct flood infrastructure funding to poorer, historically underserved communities. Ellis previously served as a Texas state senator from 1990 to 2016.

District 3 County Commissioner

County Commissioner Tom Ramsey won his second term representing the northern tier of Harris County, defeating Precinct 4 Marshal Office deputy Salim Malik by a margin of 64.23% to 35.77%. Ramsey, a civil engineer by training, served as mayor of Spring Valley Village from 2012 to 2020. Ramsey remains the only Republican on the Harris County Commissioners Court since former Commissioner Jack Cagle was defeated two years ago. During his four years on the field, he repeatedly clashed with the Democratic majority; especially for a week. Boycotting court hearings in 2022 to prevent adoption of Democrats’ proposed budget and tax levels.