What this is
Fort Bend County's Democratic primary runoff for County Judge will determine who leads this diverse, growing suburban county government serving over 500,000 res
Fort Bend County's Democratic voters favored Dexter McCoy by a wide margin during the early voting period in the party primary runoff for Fort Bend County judge.
Early voting results released Tuesday night, after Election Day polls closed, showed McCoy with 75.22% of the early vote in his race against Rachelle Carter.
The winner of the primary runoff will face interim County Judge Daniel Wong, the Republican nominee, in November.
McCoy is seeking the county judge seat after serving as the county’s Precinct 4 commissioner since first being elected in 2022. Carter is a Sugar Land Municipal Court associate judge and founder of a law firm who has been practicing law for over 14 years, according to her campaign website.
When asked about what he had been hearing from constituents during campaigning, McCoy said before Election Day that many were concerned about affordability.
The diverse, growing suburban county outside of Houston has over half a million registered voters, according to the county's elections office. Fort Bend County represents a critical shift in Texas suburban politics, according to Rice University political science professor Mark Jones.
Read full text
"The biggest issue that everybody is concerned about is rising costs," McCoy said. "Everything's becoming more expensive. Gas prices, home prices and people are paying more in property taxes. Families are really getting squeezed by the disastrous economic policies coming out of [Washington] D.C. and even right here in our state."
"That's because Fort Bend County is a purplish-to-somewhat light blue county where a Republican certainly can win, but where a Democrat starts off the election as a modest favorite," Jones said.
The transition in the county's political landscape reflects broader statewide trends, Jones said, where traditionally Republican strongholds are becoming increasingly competitive.
"Donald Trump's low approval ratings are dragging Republican candidates down across the country and across the state of Texas," Jones said. "Fort Bend County is no exception. So Daniel Wong is going to face some considerable headwinds as he has to try to run in a county that leans a little bit blue and where Donald Trump is having an adverse impact on Republican candidates in the county, the state, and the nation."
Wong was appointed to serve as interim county judge in April after County Judge KP George was suspended in response to a September lawsuit filed by a Fort Bend County resident, who sought to remove George from office for allegations that included a violation of the resident's First Amendment rights.
Before Wong was appointed by a visiting Republican judge from Galveston County, George was convicted of felony money laundering, which could ultimately result in his permanent removal from office. George, first elected as a Democrat in 2018, placed last in the Republican primary election in March.
Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today! DONATE
Sign up for our daily weekday newsletter - Hello, Houston!SIGN UP NOW
Key details
- Topic: Fort Bend County Judge Democratic primary runoff election
- Candidates: Dexter McCoy vs Rachelle Carter
- Impact area: Over 500,000 registered voters in Fort Bend County
- Key issues: Property taxes, infrastructure, public safety, county growth
Where it reaches
- Phone
- 14888184115
Available across Houston.
Why it matters
The Fort Bend County Judge race decides who will lead your county government and make decisions about your property taxes, roads, flood control, and emergency services. This affects daily life in Sugar Land, Missouri City, Rosenberg and other Fort Bend communities.
How to dig in
- 1Start with the snapshot above to know what this is in a glance.
- 2Read through to understand how it connects to the bigger picture.
- 3Open it using the button above.
When you call, you can say: “Hi, I saw "Fort Bend County Judge Race Shapes Local Government Leadership" on Community Exchange and want to know how to take part.”
By the numbers
Led byHouston Public Media
Counted from the Community Exchange connection graph.