Who is running for Judge, County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 (Harris County, Texas) in 2026?

Trial attorney, Houston, Texas

Erin Swanson is a Houston trial attorney, former Harris County prosecutor and certified mediator, licensed in Texas since 2014¹⁴. She has not previously held judicial office. She is the Republican nominee for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 against incumbent Democrat Alex Salgado².

• Trial attorney in Houston¹
• Former prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office¹
• Certified mediator¹
• J.D., South Texas College of Law; licensed in Texas since May 2014⁴
• Swanson has not previously held judicial office. She advanced unopposed from the Republican primary for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Democrat Alex Salgado in the November 3, 2026 general election².
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll is a non-binding survey of HBA members' preferences, and the HBA states it is not an endorsement. The 2026 poll was open as of September 27, 2026, closes October 2, 2026, and results are due October 9, 2026; no results had been published as of this writing³.

Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 1

Alex Salgado has been judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 since January 1, 2019, after defeating the Republican incumbent in 2018; he was re-elected in 2022¹. According to Salgado, he and the other misdemeanor judges elected in 2018 settled the federal lawsuit over the county's misdemeanor bail practices and put a new bail system in place, and later started the Bayou City Community Court². He is running for re-election against Republican Erin Swanson¹.

• Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 1, since January 1, 2019, presiding over Class A and B misdemeanors¹²
• Salgado defeated incumbent Republican Paula Goodhart in the November 6, 2018 general election, took office January 1, 2019, and was re-elected in November 2022 over Republican Nathan Moss¹. He advanced unopposed from the 2026 Democratic primary and faces Republican Erin Swanson in the November 3, 2026 general election¹.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll is a non-binding survey of HBA members' preferences, and the HBA states it is not an endorsement. The 2026 poll was open as of September 27, 2026, closes October 2, 2026, and results are due October 9, 2026; no results had been published as of this writing³.