Who is running for Harris County District Clerk in 2026?

Former Harris County District Clerk

Chris Daniel was Harris County District Clerk from 2011 to 2018, first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014²³. He is a University of Texas mechanical engineering graduate who worked at National Oilwell Varco and was elected a Lone Star College trustee in 2006². He is the Republican nominee for district clerk¹.

• Harris County District Clerk, 2011 to 2018³
• Lone Star College System trustee, elected 2006²
• Engineer and project manager, National Oilwell Varco²
• BS in mechanical engineering, University of Texas at Austin; attended night law school at South Texas College of Law²
• Unopposed in the March 2026 Republican primary⁴. Seeking to return to the office after incumbent Marilyn Burgess chose not to run again³.

Attorney; former judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 16

Darrell Jordan Jr. is an attorney and U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard veteran of 24 years who was judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 16 for eight years²³. He won the May 2026 Democratic runoff for district clerk⁶ and is the Democratic nominee¹.

• Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 16, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020; did not seek re-election in 2024³
• Served as a presiding judge of the county criminal courts at law and played a lead role in negotiating the ODonnell misdemeanor bail consent decree³
• About 20 years practicing law; 24 years in the U.S. Army and Texas Army National Guard, including senior leadership roles²
• Led an eight-candidate Democratic primary in March 2026 and advanced to a runoff with Jose "Alex" Maldonado⁴, which he won with 70.6 percent⁶.
• Public discipline: State Commission on Judicial Conduct, Public Admonition and Order of Additional Education, May 13, 2022 (CJC No. 19-1137), for failing to be patient, dignified and courteous toward prosecutors and for manifesting bias against the Harris County District Attorney's Office in his court⁵.