Jordan defeats Daniel in Harris County district clerk race

The Houston Chronicle reported Nov. 3 that Democrat Darrell Jordan Jr. won the Harris County District Clerk race with 803,669 votes, or 60.6%, to Republican Chris Daniel's 522,724 votes, or 39.4%, according to unofficial results from Harris County Clerk Elections Department. All 1,224 reporting units had reported, with 1,326,393 votes counted. Jordan led by 280,945 votes, a margin of 21.2 percentage points.

The win gives Democrats continued control of the office. Jordan succeeds District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, a Democrat who announced she would not seek a third term.

What the candidates said

In a Facebook post on Nov. 4, Jordan said he was grateful for voters turning out to the polls, Houston Public Media reported.

"I am also a man of faith, and I know God carried me here," Jordan said, according to Houston Public Media. "He allowed me to serve as a judge in the third-largest county in America, to help bring transformational change to a bail system whose reform has reverberated across the country, and now to lead an office of more than 500 employees and a $50 million budget."

Daniel had not commented publicly as of Nov. 4.

What was at stake

The district clerk is the recorder and custodian of all court documents for more than 90 courts in Harris County, according to the district clerk's office website. The office has roughly 500 employees and handles about one million civil case filings and 300,000 criminal filings each year.

The key issues:

• Both candidates said court backlogs and processing delays were top concerns. Daniel said he would expand e-filing and improve processes for warrants, case intake and jury services, according to the Houston Chronicle. Jordan said outdated infrastructure caused slowdowns that waste tax dollars.
• Staffing shortages were a shared priority. Daniel said he would petition commissioners for higher clerk pay. Jordan said he would support the professionals who keep courts running.
• Jordan campaigned on modernizing the office and strengthening public trust. Daniel pointed to his eight years running the office as proof he could deliver results.

Jordan will oversee an office that collects court fees and fines and maintains a court registry with more than $100 million in custodial accounts.

A little history

Jordan served two terms as judge of Criminal Court at Law No. 16, first taking office in 2017, according to the Houston Chronicle. He also served in the Army Reserves and the Texas National Guard. Eight Democrats competed in the March primary for the seat. Jordan won a May runoff to claim the Democratic nomination, Houston Public Media reported.

Daniel served as district clerk from 2011 to 2019 and was among the Republicans swept out of county offices in 2018, according to the Houston Chronicle. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary. He came within 26,000 votes of victory in a 2022 rematch against Burgess.

Burgess announced she would not seek reelection after Harris County commissioners rejected her request for an $81,000 raise, Houston Public Media reported.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. Harris County must finish the local canvass no later than Nov. 17, according to a Texas Secretary of State election advisory. The district clerk is elected to a four-year term.

Election results: Harris County District Clerk (Texas General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Harris County Clerk Elections Department. Results current as of Nov. 4, 2026, 8:39 a.m. CST. Reporting: 1,224 of 1,224. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.