Chris Daniel wants his old job back.
The Republican nominee for Harris County district clerk, Daniel served two terms in the office from 2011 to 2019. He said he is running again because the clerk's office "is the backbone of the courts." It "has to work every day for families, lawyers, judges, and people who never set foot in a courtroom," he said. He faces Democrat Darrell Jordan Jr., who won the May 26 Democratic runoff, in the Nov. 3 general election. The seat is open after incumbent Marilyn Burgess announced in September 2025 that she would not seek a third term.
The district clerk's office handles court records, filings and jury services for all Harris County residents, including those in unincorporated Spring.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Harris County district clerk
- Party: Republican
- Residence: Humble
- Education: Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2005); law degree, South Texas College of Law Houston (2010)
- Occupation: Attorney and owner of The Chris Daniel Firm PLLC, focused on personal injury, wills, probate and business consulting. Of counsel at Triton Consulting Group, advising municipal utility district boards on contracts and compliance.
- Family: Married with two children
- Endorsement: Texas Home School Coalition
Experience and public service
Daniel served as Harris County district clerk from 2011 to 2019. In that role, he said he led about 500 employees supporting 59 district courts and 15 county criminal courts. He said the office moved toward paperless systems for courts and jury operations, launched a U.S. passport applications office, managed court registries and trained the legal community on new filing tools.
Daniel lost his 2018 reelection bid to Democrat Marilyn Burgess and lost to her again in 2022. He also ran unsuccessfully for Harris County tax assessor-collector in 2020, according to Ballotpedia.
Earlier in his career, Daniel worked as an engineering expert and patent law clerk and held engineering positions at National Oilwell Varco and Grant Prideco. He also held engineering positions at The Matthews Law Firm, according to BallotReady.
He previously served on the Lone Star College System board of trustees. He has also served as president of Helping a Hero and as an advisory board member for the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts.
On the issues
"This job is not about writing opinions from the bench," Daniel said in his questionnaire. "It is about records, technology, staffing and treating every customer — attorney or pro se — with respect. I will measure turnaround times, publish performance and put kiosks and plain-language tools in front of people who cannot hire a lawyer. Experience running the district clerk's office is the qualification that matters most."
Court operations and technology: Daniel told the Houston Chronicle he pioneered mandatory e-filing during his previous tenure and transitioned more than 90 courts to paperless operations. He said those changes saved taxpayers millions and reduced delays. If elected, he said he plans to expand e-filing and improve processes for warrants, subpoenas, record retrieval, case intake and jury services.
Public access and transparency: Daniel outlined a four-step plan to the Houston Chronicle: streamline the online portal's user interface and registration, expand free digital access to records, add servers to improve system performance and restore priority access for reporters to court records. He said he would also put kiosks and plain-language tools in front of people who cannot hire a lawyer.
Staffing: Daniel said he would petition Harris County Commissioners Court for higher pay for clerks to address staffing shortages and operational inefficiencies.
Other priorities: Daniel said in his questionnaire that he wants a fairer jury process, plans to measure turnaround times and publish performance data, and would build a professional workplace in the clerk's office.
Asked what sets him apart, Daniel said in his questionnaire: "I have already run this office for eight years. I know the e-filing pipeline, how citations and acceptances actually work … how jury summons are issued, and where delays start." He said he also knows how multidistrict litigation consolidations are processed.
The general election is Nov. 3.
