In two of the region’s most closely watched May 26 runoff races, former Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer and Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy secured historic victories, signaling a clear pivot toward a younger generation of leadership and aggressive progressive messaging heading into November.
With their victories, both Plummer and McCoy are now poised to make history as the first Black County Judges in their respective counties.
Harris County: Plummer pulls off stunning upset over Annise Parker
In a classic progressive versus moderate establishment showdown, Plummer secured an upset victory over former Houston Mayor Annise Parker in the Democratic runoff for Harris County Judge.
The victory was a stunning reversal of expectations. Parker had led the first round of primary voting in March with 46.6% to Plummer’s 37.3%. A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll released earlier this month showed Parker holding a massive 18-percentage-point lead.
While the poll found Parker buoyed by likely Latino voters and independents, Plummer’s fierce grassroots campaign held a sizable advantage among likely Black voters — ultimately powering her to edge out Parker with 51.13% of the vote to Parker’s 48.87%.
“This victory belongs to the people,” Plummer said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who showed up, raised your voice, and cast your vote to make this possible. I am deeply grateful for your trust and support. Today we celebrate, and tomorrow we get to work. The work begins now.”
Conceding the race, Parker pointed to the low turnout that plagued the runoff cycle.
“While I did not think my opponent could beat me, low voter turnout absolutely could,” Parker noted, before pivoting toward party unity. “The votes have been counted, and I want to congratulate Letitia Plummer on becoming the Democratic nominee for Harris County Judge… This campaign is over, and our job now is to defeat the Republicans in November.”
“This victory belongs to the people. Thank you to everyone who showed up, raised your voice, and cast your vote to make this possible.”
Letitia Plummer
Plummer, a dentist who previously made history as the first Muslim woman elected to the Houston City Council, triggered Texas’ “resign-to-run” rule to launch her campaign, leaving her At-Large Position 4 seat to be filled by attorney Alejandra Salinas. Running on an aggressive progressive platform, Plummer campaigned to reduce recidivism in the Harris County Jail, halt county property tax increases, and establish tighter fiscal oversight by reviewing major county expenditures.
Plummer now secures the Democratic nomination to succeed outgoing Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. If she defeats Republican runoff winner and former Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez this fall, she will become the first Black person elected Harris County Judge.
Fort Bend County: McCoy dominates despite systemwide voting outage
Further south, a parallel political shift occurred as Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy secured a dominant victory in his Democratic runoff for Fort Bend County Judge, defeating Sugar Land Municipal Court Associate Judge Rachelle Carter. McCoy captured a commanding 74.43% of the vote.
The landslide victory came despite a tense afternoon systemwide shutdown that halted all electronic voting across Fort Bend County for about two hours. Elections Administrator Chase Wilson confirmed a “bad file was uploaded,” causing check-in difficulties, though election integrity remained uncompromised. While the electronic system was restored just after 5 p.m., some voters left frustrated.
Throughout the outage, McCoy utilized social media to provide updates and successfully urged voters to stay in line.
“My heart is full because you all know this has been a grueling journey, and all of us know it’s only just the beginning,” McCoy told an enthusiastic crowd at his watch party in Sugar Land Town Square. He praised Carter’s “spirited” campaign, adding, “She has spent years encouraging and inspiring the next generation of leaders.”
The 34-year-old Precinct 4 commissioner and former Obama staffer immediately turned his fire toward his November opponent, interim Republican County Judge Daniel Wong. Wong was controversially appointed to the seat last month by visiting Galveston County Judge Jeth Jones following the removal of former County Judge KP George over a felony conviction.
“We have been consistently pushing that we need to be fighting for people, not politicians.”
Dexter McCoy
Local Democrats have fiercely criticized the appointment as an attempt by a Republican judge to bypass the ballot box and manipulate the November election.
McCoy used his victory speech to directly target Wong’s early administrative choices, accusing him of appointing “the most MAGA people imaginable” to county leadership. McCoy criticized Wong for hiring Trever Nehls—a GOP congressional nominee aligned with Donald Trump—as chief of staff at a six-figure salary that doubles that of other court employees, and for appointing Republican commentator Bobby Eberle as communications director.
“Well, today the people of Fort Bend County made their voices heard, and they decided they want something different,” McCoy said. “I think it’s indicative of the message we have been consistently pushing, that we need to be fighting for people, not politicians.”
McCoy and Wong will continue to serve together on the Commissioners Court during a highly anticipated fall campaign, where McCoy will stick to his core script: Building an economy that lowers costs, restoring ethical leadership, and supporting public education.
