The Hidalgo Thing
Today is Friday the 13th. The second Friday the 13th of 2024. We had it back in September.
Taylor Swift turns 35 today. Happy Birthday, Taylor.
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The 2026 campaign has begun, well, sort of. See this from the Chron:
County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she hasn’t decided whether to run for office in 2026 in response to a claim made Thursday by Mayor John Whitmire that she will not pursue another term as county judge.
Whitmire, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle, said he had heard that Hidalgo was “fixing to announce that she’s not going to run.” He alluded to the judge’s personal struggle with depression and the pressures that accompany the job as county judge.
“She’s not enjoying her work,” Whitmire said. “And she’s happy now. I saw on social media she got back this weekend from her wedding destination. But let me tell you what, this is a tough job at any level. You definitely lose your privacy. She’s obviously documented some of her emotional issues, which, this is a terrible profession to be in if you’re struggling with pressure.”
In a statement to the Chronicle, Hidalgo said she is “fully focused on serving the people of Harris County” but didn’t directly say whether Whitmire’s comments about her political future were accurate.
“At this time, we have no announcement to make regarding future elections,” her office said.
Whitmire and Hidalgo have had an adversarial relationship since the mayor took office in January. Hidalgo supported Whitmire’s opponent, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, in the race for mayor.
Whitmire did not say whether the pair had met in an official capacity in his first year in office, but told the Chronicle that he would “work with anyone” and that the pair had worked together during the Kingwood flooding in May.
And this:
Hidalgo already has one potential challenger for the position, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who may run for county judge as a Democrat. Parker told the Chronicle in April she hadn’t decided any plans for the future.
“I think Annise would make a great county judge,” Whitmire said Thursday. “But I’m also smart enough to know to wait and see if Hidalgo does what supposedly is supposed to happen.”
Parker told the Chronicle Thursday she was “leaning strongly” toward entering the race.
Here is the entire Chron read: Lina Hidalgo deflects John Whitmire’s claim that she may not run again.
The Hidalgo thing is a Chron headline today and the featured photo.
We are 18 days from 2025, and in 2025, candidates will start gearing up for the March 2026 primaries. I am sure we will see MAGA candidates vie for Harris County Judge in the MAGA party. There is no room for so-called moderate GOP candidates in the Harris County MAGA Party.
It certainly looks like former Mayor Parker is itching to get back into running for office.
At some point, Judge Hidalgo will have to get into campaign mode. If Judge Hidalgo decides not to seek reelection, Annise won’t get a free ride. Several Democrats will consider getting into the race. African American and Latino/Latina Democratic leaders will huddle to decide if they can get behind a strong candidate from their community. Why not? Both communities have major political sway in Harris County Democratic Party primaries.
Can they raise the dough? Annise will have a considerable advantage on this front. She has raised a ton of dough for her mayoral runs and in her role with the Victory Fund nationwide.
2025 just got a bit more interesting. Stay tuned.
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This is also in the Chron:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for a bill to build a pedestrian bridge in memory of Sergio Rodriguez after the Houston ISD student was struck and killed by a train Monday morning.
Rodriguez, 15, was struck while walking to school along a railroad track that divides Milby High School and the rest of southeast Houston’s Pecan Park neighborhood. Residents have called for increased safety along the railway for years, Sen. Carol Alvarado told the Chronicle.
“This is nothing new,” said Alvarado, a Milby High graduate. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve become used to these stories, deaths occurring.”
In response, Patrick said he would ask Alvarado to carry a bill in the next legislative session to build a pedestrian bridge over the popular crossing and name it after Rodriguez.
Here is the entire Chron read: Dan Patrick calls for bridge named after Milby student killed by train.
This issue should have been addressed a long, long time ago.
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I said the following last month:
I get billed for my Chronicle subscription every four weeks. My subscription just went up by $7. They didn’t give me a heads up. I now pay $104 every four weeks to support local journalism.
My subscription just went up to $109 and again, no heads up from the Chron.
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The MLB rumor yesterday had the Astros working to make a trade deal with the Cubbies involving King Tuck. We will see what transpires today.
