Jill Biden Campaigns With Harris County Judge Who Will Likely Face Federal Indictment

Desperate Democrats are doing all the things with so little time left before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Take, for example, Jill Biden’s visit to Houston on Sunday to campaign for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Hidalgo, a Democrat, is running for re-election. She faces a humiliating defeat by her Republican challenger, Alexandra Mealer. *fingers crossed*

Jill came to Houston and made campaign stops at a couple of churches and community centers in Third Ward. She was joined by several local Democrats, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18); Judge Genesis Draper, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 12; Rep. Al Green (D-TX-09); Commissioner Rodney Ellis; State Sen. Borris Miles; Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia; and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29). Biden concentrated on trying to motivate voters to get out and vote. Early voting has been strong, the second largest in county history. But, turnout was still 105,000 votes less when compared to 2018’s midterm election..

The race between Hidalgo and Mealer is a toss-up at this time, though it is Mealer who has the momentum. Mealer will likely win this race. That is very good news for Harris County residents.

“This race is going to be close, you all know that. The only way we can win is by voting,” Biden said.

The main message from Biden and those who joined her was the importance of voting and encouraging voters to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.

“Every single vote counts,” Biden said.

Hidalgo highlighted what she said she has done for the county during her time in office and why she believes other Democrats should be elected as well.

“We cannot give up now because we are not just talking, we are doing. It’s a big county and I can’t be everywhere,” Hidalgo said.

For a little background, Harris County is the country’s third most populous county. Its county seat is Houston, the largest city in Texas and fourth largest city in the United States. The history of Harris County is that for many years, Harris County was controlled by Republicans while Houston, like most large urban cities, is a deeply blue city led by Democrats. In the 2018 blue wave that swept through Harris County, Hidalgo was elected Harris County Judge – a non-judicial position. It is the county’s CEO position. She was a political novice, only 27-years-old, and the first woman and first Latina elected to the county judge office. It’s been a disaster (who could have predicted?) and now she is in a tight race for re-election.

Hidalgo’s administration has been mired with corruption and ethical violations. She’s been accused of cronyism and corrupt no-bid processes for large county contracts, particularly in how the county handled federal COVID-19 dollars. Three of her top aides are under felony indictment. It’s been widely rumored that Hidalgo herself will be indicted and Hidalgo said as much, too.

A recent poll has Mealer up 47% to Hidalgo’s 45%. The race is too close to call. Mark Jones, Rice University political science professor, said it’s a statistical dead heat. He is one of the people behind the latest Hobby School of Public affairs poll in Harris County.

“What’s happened is we’ve gone from a slight Hidalgo lead to a slight Mealer lead,” Jones explained. “National factors are aiding Mealer that the Biden administration is unpopular, and people continue to be very concerned about crime and public safety in Harris County.”

Jones says one reason for Mealer’s surge is the top issue. The poll found the most significant issues for all voters are crime and public safety followed by government corruption and voting rights.

For Mealer’s supporters, they’re concerned about crime and public safety, government corruption and immigration. Hidalgo’s supporters worry about voter rights, racial equity and abortion.

“Crime and public safety is the dominant issue and that gives a real advantage to Alex Mealer because a plurality of Harris County voters believe she is the one who’s best suited to handle the county’s strong problems with crime and public safety,” Jones explained.

Hidalgo is the AOC of Harris County. There is not a progressive idea that she finds too radical. She immediately locked down the county when the pandemic broke out and continually fought Governor Abbott has he re-opened the state as quickly as possible to keep people working and children in school. Crime has escalated in Harris County, as it has in other areas. Law enforcement do not support her and she was booed at a recent funeral for a police officer. She tried to push through a huge tax increase in recent weeks, stopped by the two Republican county commissioners on Commissioners Court. The county has plenty of money and it needs to be spent more efficiently. County residents are under enough economic stress with Bidenflation, we don’t need higher taxes on top of that.

Alexandra Mealer will be a breath of fresh air. Mealor, as I said, has momentum. The wind is at her back at this point. As her website says, she is a combat veteran, a West Point graduate, Harvard JD/MBA, a wife and mother of two very young children, and she is Hispanic. She is outraising Hidalgo and flooding the airwaves with ads. Though, I will say that I did see a Hidalgo ad a couple of times during the World Series, which my Astros won on Saturday night. Gallery Furniture owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, you may have read, is a gambler and bet big (and won) on the Astros. He is a big supporter of Mealer.

Since July 1, Mealer has raised $8.6 million and spent $8.2 million, unprecedented numbers for a candidate seeking Harris County’s top elected post. During that period, Hidalgo has raised $2.4 million and spent nearly $3.6 million.

As a Houston and Harris County resident, I’ll be watching election returns on this race on Tuesday night. Harris County needs a change. Jill Biden’s appearance in Houston for Lina won’t change the race at all.

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