HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo went to bed “cautiously optimistic" on election night as results were still coming in, but her victory was confirmed Wednesday by preliminary election results and a concession by her Republican challenger, Alexandra Mealer.
Hidalgo led by about 16,000 votes Wednesday morning out of more than a million cast. It wasn't a massive margin but enough, Hidalgo said, to affirm the job she’s doing.
“To the naysayers who think I’ll be intimidated by conspiracy theories or by bullying or by political prosecutions, Bring it on! Bring it on!” Hidalgo said while addressing supporters.
Mealer didn't make Hidalgo's win easy. The Republican challenger had staggering fundraising capabilities and high-profile endorsements, but that wasn't enough to upset Hidalgo.
“She had almost $10 million in the bank and she had a U.S. senator and she had a furniture salesman," Hidalgo said. "You can’t win them all, you can’t win all the bets."
Mealer threw in the white flag Wednesday morning and released the following statement on her social media pages:
“While we did not accomplish our goal of changing leadership in Harris County, we were successful in elevating the profile of critical issues like the need to appropriately resource our law enforcement and criminal justice system as well as the desire to eliminate corruption and increase transparency in local government.”
Hidalgo said the record shows fighting crime is a concern for Harris County residents as is funding law enforcement, something the majority of voters clearly believe she can effectively do along with other components of her agenda.
Hidalgo was asked about the election process after her speech and she said it was time to let the dust settle a little bit and any issues that are legitimate will be taken up and possibly corrected by the commissioner's court and the election board.
Watch Lina Hidalgo's full victory speech below: