At the last minute on Sunday, First Lady Jill Biden showed up in Harris County to campaign for Judge Lina Hidalgo, who has been mired in corruption and may be federally indicted.
Hidalgo came into power as basically the CEO of Harris County during the blue wave in 2018, but she has not managed things well during the four years she has been in power.
There have been allegations of cronyism and corrupt no-bid processes for large county contracts. COVID-19 funds were particularly mismanaged.
Three of her top staffers including her chief of staff were indicted on felony charges in April, and Hidalgo has said that she’s probably next.
She’s losing (but not by much)
Hidalgo is currently two points behind Republican opponent Alexandra Mealer in the latest polling, but Rice University political science professor Mark Jones called it a statistical dead heat.
The race has gone from Hidalgo having a slight lead to Mealer having one, Jones said, and that makes it a toss-up.
“National factors are aiding Mealer that the Biden administration is unpopular, and people continue to be very concerned about crime and public safety in Harris County,” Jones observed.
Hot Air called Hidalgo the AOC of Harris County, having locked down quickly when the coronavirus hit and fought Governor Greg Abbott (R) tooth and nail when he tried to reopen quickly.
Progressive liberal
She was narrowly stopped from pushing through a large tax increase, and was recently booed at a police funeral.
On the other hand, Mealer is a combat veteran, a West Point graduate, Harvard JD/MBA, a wife and mother of two very young children, and she is Hispanic as well.
Mealer has also outspent Hidalgo more than two to one, which should help people get to know her and what she stands for.
Between better policies and getting rid of corruption, it seems like Mealer is exactly what Harris County needs.