The Chron kicks off its endorsement season with a strong recommendation for Annise Parker in the Democratic primary for Harris County Judge.
Annise Parker
If you want to understand the real differences between former mayor Annise Parker and former Council Member Letitia Plummer as they run in the Democratic primary for county judge, consider their dueling answers about Mayor John Whitmire removing a rainbow crosswalk in the Montrose neighborhood.
The topic came up during their joint endorsement meeting with the Houston Chronicle editorial board. (We didn’t meet with Matt Salazar, who is also running for county judge.) Last year, the White House had issued a diktat demanding the removal of colorful crosswalks, and Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withhold state highways dollars if cities didn’t comply. Parker had recommended a strategic path forward that included replacing the crosswalk with a surfeit of rainbow banners and celebrating Montrose’s history as a gay-friendly neighborhood, but not risking the loss of taxpayer funds.
“You don’t do stupid fights,” she said. That’s good advice.
Plummer, on the other hand, said she would be willing to lose the $12 million if that’s what it took to stand up to a “bully.”
Parker envisioned a way to get a win for taxpayers and for the LGBT community. Plummer opted to take the bait on political fight that could end up backfiring.
We can confidently say that Harris County would be better served by Parker’s model on Commissioners Court, and endorse her in the Democratic primary for county judge.
It’s a long piece and that’s a gift link, so read the rest. We’re now about five weeks out from Primary Day, so it behooves the Chron to get moving on these. They make pains to point out that their recommendation is not a knock on Letitia Plummer but of greater enthusiasm for Parker – they rated Parker as four stars and Plummer as three and a half.
As far as the illustrative example goes, I want to be clear that all I wanted from Mayor Whitmire was for him to not roll over like a puppy in obedience school. File the damn appeal that was available to all and that multiple cities took, which even though it was certainly futile would still give allies the chance to study the feasibility of litigation, and also demonstrate that this was not something we approved of. I’m wholly sympathetic to not risking these funds, which we know the petty snowflakes in charge would be happy to snatch back, but there was a clear and easy option provided to slow it all down, and it made no sense at all to not take it. For sure, as we saw in San Antonio, the symbolic gesture of painting rainbows elsewhere won’t sit well with some folks, and that’s totally fair. But immediate caving sits well with no one.
Anyway. My interview with Annise Parker is here and my interview with Letitia Plummer is here. They both had compelling things to say, so I hope you’ll listen to them. Early voting for the primary will be on us before you know it.
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This entry was posted in Election 2026 and tagged Annise Parker, Democratic primary, Election 2026, endorsements, Harris County, Harris County Judge, Letitia Plummer. Bookmark the permalink.
The Chronicle liked that Annise Parker would cave in immediately. I am sure you will be a Parker supporter, just as you were a Whitmire supporter.
My last comment for several months or more.
As the quote above from Annise Parker makes clear, she is not a fighter, regardless of what her campaign literature might say. The HERO fiasco showed that she was not prepared for any opposition, and when an ad hoc pushback to the HERO initiative was organized she was unable to respond with a network of allies and an effective media blitz. Timing and delay tactics were not employed to advantage, and we all lost as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance went down in a barrage of lies and fake outrage from right wing fanatics.
Now we are in the fight of our lives against entrenched and determined fascist White Nationalists in the White House. The order to get rid of the Montrose Rainbow Crosswalk was part of their agenda to erase queer people from the public eye. Caving to fascists because you might not win is not a survival strategy. In the course of fighting for the crosswalk the issue would have been kept alive in the media and the true motives of the White House fascists like Stephen Miller and Russell Vought would have been exposed. The pushback would have helped solidify the opposition even if we did not prevail in the end.
This moment needs a real, effective fighter, and Annise Parker, by her own statement, is not that person. We need a committed progressive fighting Democrat like Leticia Plummer, not a passive-aggressive and barely partisan bureaucrat.
I have to go with Plummer on this one. Parker proposes surrendering in fits and starts.
Trump and Abbot are bullies and I cannot abide bullies. Giving up some, instead of all, of your lunch money and counting that as a win is a loser’s gambit.
Plummer sees our reality in a way Parker’s privilege allows her to overlook. If we quietly go along with Trump, from his gold-plated office, dictating how cities regulate municipal crosswalks (so much for local control), we’ll have only ourselves to blame when he unilaterally declares rainbow banners are illegal. We’re already building concentration camps. Bullies don’t ever stop pushing unless and until they face vigorous and determined pushback. It’s past time our political leaders stand up and tell Trump and Abbott no, and face the consequences with their heads held high.