The closest thing Harris County government has to a CEO is the Harris County Judge.
Despite the title, it’s not a judicial position. The Harris County Judge presides over
Harris County Commissioners’ Court – like a city council, but for the county, and has
certain other duties, particularly with regard to emergency management.
In 2018, popular Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was defeated in what many observers
felt was something of a fluke. A 28-year old Colombian immigrant with no experience as
an elected official won – mostly due to Democratic straight-ticket voting by supporters of
Beto O’Rourke, a candidate for U.S. Senate who carried Harris County by a wide
margin despite losing the statewide election to Ted Cruz.
Hidalgo’s service as county judge has had some controversy. Critics have a lot to say
about her views on criminal justice reform and pandemic mandates, and three of her
key staff members have been indicted for allegedly steering an $11 million vaccine
outreach contract away from the UT Health Science Center to a political consultant with
no relevant experience.
Still, Harris County has leaned pretty far left for the past several elections, and some are
skeptical that any Republican nominee – even another Hispanic female – can unseat a
Democratic incumbent.
Your assignment: You are now the phantom campaign manager for one of these two
candidates. Design a campaign to win the election. Write this assignment as a 2 – 5
page memorandum.
(but with cited sources) from you, the campaign manager, to your candidate. Outline the
race for them, how much money you think they need to raise, how you will raise it for
them, what you propose to spend it on, what issues they should talk about, how you
want to deliver their message, etc.
Some things to keep in mind:
● Most important: Remember, you’re writing a memo to your client, not a report
about your client. Talk to your candidate. Don’t tell them their own biography –
they already know where they went to school, how many kids they have, etc.
Focus on the campaign you want to run.
● Lina Hidalgo is the incumbent. Incumbents always enter a race with a
decided advantage, although – to be fair – Hidalgo won this race four years
ago by beating the incumbent. She is young, intelligent, energetic and
articulate.
● Alexandra Mealer has an impressive background, graduating from West Point
and serving as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer in Afghanistan.
● This race is far down a long election ballot, after dozens of federal, state and
local judicial races. Many voters are going to the polls because they’re mad
about gas prices, inflation, abortion rights and January 6 – none of which are
issues over which a county judge has any control. How do you deal with that?
● In 2018, many voters chose the “straight ticket” option – voting for either all
Democrats or all Republicans with a single choice at the beginning of the
ballot. Straight ticket voting is no longer available in Texas. You can vote for
all the candidates from one party, but you have to choose those candidates
individually, one race at a time. Will that impact the outcome of a
“down-ballot” race like this one?
● What’s your candidate’s message? How will you deliver it, and to whom? How
much money will you need? How will you raise it? How will you spend it?