The latest survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found some leaders in the Harris County Democratic primary runoff. (Credit Getty Images)
Key Takeaways
- Annise Parker has an 18-point lead over Letitia Plummer in the Democratic primary runoff election for Harris County judge, with support from 54% of likely runoff voters, compared to 36% for Plummer.
- More than half of likely voters, or 57%, aren’t sure who they will support in the Democratic runoff for Harris County district clerk. 23% support Darrell Jordan Jr., while 20% support Jose “Alex” Maldonado.
- 41% of Harris County Democratic runoff voters support Vikki Goodwin as their party’s nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, while 19% support Marcos Vélez.
- Likely voters are split on the Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general, with 32% supporting Nathan Johnson and 30% supporting Joe Jaworski.
- When considering issues that will guide their decision about which candidate to support for county judge, Harris County Democratic voters listed economic inequality as their top concern, followed by ethnic/racial inequality, flooding and rising property taxes.
Annise Parker holds an 18-point lead over Letitia Plummer in the Democratic primary runoff election for Harris County judge, with 54% of likely voters supporting Parker in her bid to become the county’s top executive. Plummer received support from 36%.
The latest survey from the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found 10% of likely voters in the Democratic runoff aren’t sure who they will support for county judge. The runoff is set for May 26, and early voting starts May 18.
Renée Cross, researcher and senior executive director at the Hobby School, said the relatively low number of undecided voters in the county judge race likely reflects the years Parker and Plummer have served in local politics.
“That’s especially true of Parker, who served as a Houston City Council member and controller before serving three terms as the mayor of Houston,” Cross said. “Plummer served as an at-large member of City Council, and while voters are more familiar with Parker, almost two-thirds are familiar with Plummer.”
Overall, 69% reported a positive opinion of Parker, while 55% said the same of Plummer.
“As the largest county in the state, with a population that skews Democratic, Harris County voters can play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of statewide Democratic runoffs. But high numbers of voters here are unfamiliar with these statewide candidates even as the election is drawing near.”
—Mark P. Jones, senior research fellow at the Hobby School
Voters are still considering their choices in a number of other matchups. Almost six out of 10 likely voters, or 57%, are unsure who they will back for Harris County district clerk, with 23% supporting Darrell Jordan Jr. and 20% supporting Jose “Alex” Maldonado.
Among statewide races on the Democratic runoff ballot, Harris County likely voters support state Rep. Vikki Goodwin over union leader Marcos Vélez by a two-to-one margin as their party’s nominee for lieutenant governor, 41% to 19%, with 40% unsure. About one-third, 32%, of Harris County voters support state Sen. Nathan Johnson to be the Democratic nominee for attorney general, while 30% back former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski. Another 38% are unsure.
“As the largest county in the state, with a population that skews Democratic, Harris County voters can play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of statewide Democratic runoffs,” said Mark P. Jones, political science fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and senior research fellow at the Hobby School. “But high numbers of voters here are unfamiliar with these statewide candidates even as the election is drawing near.”
For example, he said, over half of voters, or 53%, don’t know enough about Goodwin to have an opinion, while 67% said the same about Vélez. In the runoff for attorney general, 50% don’t know enough about Jaworski, along with 59% who said that about Johnson.
The survey also found that Democratic runoff voters say economic inequality is their top concern when choosing a county judge, with 22% of voters listing it as the most important issue. That is followed by ethnic/racial inequality at 15%; flooding and rising property taxes, both at 13%; and the poor condition of streets and roads at 12%.
The full report is available on the Hobby School website. The Harris County survey was fielded between May 5-9, with 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of +/- 2.83%. Previous reports considered the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate and other statewide offices and runoff elections in Congressional Districts 9 and 18.