Kamin defeats Smith in Harris County attorney race

The Houston Chronicle reported Nov. 3 that Democrat Abbie Kamin won the Harris County attorney race with 823,117 votes, or 62.4%, to Republican Jacqueline Lucci Smith's 495,819 votes, or 37.6%, according to unofficial results from Harris County Clerk Elections Department. All 1,224 reporting units have reported, with 1,318,936 votes counted. Kamin led by 327,298 votes. The win makes Kamin the first woman elected to the position in Harris County's history.

What was at stake

The Harris County attorney is the county's top civil litigator, representing the county, elected officials and their employees in civil court, the Houston Chronicle reported. The office also provides legal advice to commissioners and other elected officials. The county attorney's office has more than 300 attorneys and staff, according to Community Impact.

The key issues:

• Lawsuits against state and federal leaders: Kamin's office in August joined other Texas counties in a lawsuit against the federal government over a threat to withhold counterterrorism funds, saving the Houston area $23.3 million in national security funding, according to the Houston Chronicle.
• Transparency and spending: Smith positioned her campaign around preventing scandals, reducing spending and enforcing open-government laws, according to the Houston Chronicle.
• Environmental enforcement: Kamin pledged to pursue civil enforcement actions against companies that endanger residents, including action against concrete batch plants near schools and neighborhoods, according to Community Impact.

A little history

Kamin, 38, was appointed to the position by Harris County Commissioners Court in a 3-2 vote on April 16 and sworn in June 15, according to Community Impact. She previously served on Houston City Council representing District C starting in 2019. Before entering public office, she worked as a civil rights attorney and served as associate regional director for the Anti-Defamation League's Southwest Region.

Smith, a former judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 2, ran for the same office in 2024 and narrowly lost to then-incumbent Christian Menefee, according to the Houston Chronicle. Menefee stepped down in January 2026 to run for Texas' 18th Congressional District.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until Harris County Commissioners Court completes the canvass. The deadline to finish the canvass is Nov. 17. The winner fills the remainder of Menefee's term, which expires in 2028.

Election results: Harris County Attorney (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.