Early runoff election results are in for the Democratic and Republican runoff elections in the races for Harris County judge and district clerk.

Some context: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo formally announced in September that she will not seek reelection for a third term as judge of Texas’ largest county.

Hidalgo has served as county judge since 2019 and was reelected after winning the county seat during the November 2022 general election. Her current four-year term ends Dec. 31, 2026.

Also on the ballot: In the race for Harris County district clerk, Jose "Alex" Maldonado and Darrell Jordan Jr. are facing off for the Democratic nomination.

Early voting results are in for two key runoff elections for United States House of Representatives races.

Some background: Selected races include only contested U.S. House seats that fall within Community Impact’s Houston coverage zone and that were sent to a runoff election after the March primaries, which include District 7 and District 18.

For District 7, Republican candidates Alexander Hale and Tina Cohen were sent to the runoff after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primaries. The winner of the race will face Democratic nominee and incumbent Lizzie Fletcher in the November midterm election.

Democratic candidates for U.S. House District 18, Christian Menefee and Al Green, were sent to face each other in the runoff election after the March primary votes were split 41% and 47%, respectively. The winner of the race will face Republican candidate Ronald Dwayne Whitefield in the November midterm election.

All results are unofficial until canvassed.

Approximately 165,548 Harris County residents cast early ballots in the May 26 primary runoff elections, less than half of the early turnout for the primaries in March, results from the Harris County Clerk’s Office show.

The overview: In total, 95,602 Republican voters and 69,946 Democratic voters cast ballots in person or by mail during the five-day early voting period from May 18-22, according to the unofficial results.

More details: In comparison, nearly 347,000 Harris County residents voted early during the 10-day period for the March 3 primary election, Community Impact previously reported. While more Democrats voted early in March, Republican turnout accounted for the majority of early runoff ballots.

Some context: Runoff elections are required in races where no candidate received at least 50% of votes in March. A lengthy list of primary races went to a runoff March 3, including both the Democratic and Republican races for Harris County judge, Texas attorney general, and several state and U.S. representatives, among others.

With unofficial early voting results released from the Texas Secretary of State, voters are choosing a Democratic and Republican nominee in the Texas House districts 149 and 126 races, respectively.

The details: The Democratic race for Texas House District 149 is one of several contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election. Texas House District 149 covers portions of the Katy and Alief areas.

Also on the ballot: Stan Stanart and Kelly Peterson are facing off for the Republican nomination to Texas House District 126 after Rep. Sam Harless announced his retirement by the end of his term in 2027. District 126 covers parts of Harris County, including Cypress, Spring, Fairbanks and Jersey Village, according to a map of the district.

For the first time in more than a decade, there is no incumbent in the Texas attorney general's race as Ken Paxton runs for the U.S. Senate. Voters across Texas made their picks for attorney general in the May 26 runoff election, with the winning candidate from each political party moving on to the November election.

The context: The Republican and Democratic attorney general races are among several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

The attorney general serves as Texas' top lawyer and law enforcement officer.

About the candidates: On the right, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin are each seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.

On the left, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Keep reading to see the results in the two attorney general races and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican voters across Texas cast their votes in a contentious U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The context: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

About the candidates: Cornyn, an incumbent senator with nearly 24 years in office, is seeking to hold his seat for another six years while being challenged by Paxton, the once-impeached state attorney general who was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump. Read each candidate's priorities in their own words here.  

The winning Republican candidate will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, in November.
 
Keep reading to see the results in the Cornyn-Paxton race and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.