Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus Endorses 44 Candidates

The Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus has backed 44 candidates running in several local primary races.

The Caucus, a group founded in 1975 to help elect LGBTQ-friendly politicians, endorsed the candidates during a virtual meeting on January 29. Over 350 Caucus members joined the online meeting, making it the largest virtual endorsement process in the group’s history, according to a Caucus statement.

By a vote of 133 to 111, the organization’s membership accepted the recommendations of the screening committee in 39 races, leaving eight races that were decided by the will of the body. The membership also decided not to make endorsements in four races. 

“Our amazing committee of candidate screeners, led by Brandon Mack, worked tirelessly to interview candidates and make endorsement recommendations for the membership,” said Caucus president Jovon Alfon B. Tyler. “The vote to accept the recommendations of the screening committee illustrates the trust our membership has in our rigorous and thorough screening process. We greatly look forward to pushing our highly qualified, pro-equality slate of candidates in this election.” 

The Caucus endorsements for the March 1 election are listed below: 

Texas Lieutenant Governor – Carla Brailey
Texas Attorney General – Rochelle Mercedes Garza 
Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office – Jay Kleberg 
Member, State Board of Education, District 4 – Theldon Branch 
State Senator, District 15 – John Whitmire 
State Representative, District 26 – Lawrence “Skully” Allen Jr. 
State Representative, District 27 – Ron Reynolds 
State Representative, District 76 – James Burnett 
State Representative, District 131 – Alma A. Allen
State Representative, District 142 – Candis Houston 
State Representative, District 147 – Jolanda Jones 
Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District, Place 2 – Kyle Carter 
Justice, 14th Court of Appeals District, Place 9 – William Demond 
District Judge, 183rd Judicial District – Chuck Silverman 
District Judge, 184th Judicial District – Abigail Anastasio 
District Judge, 185th Judicial District – Jason Luong 
District Judge, 189th Judicial District – Lema May Barazi 
District Judge, 208th Judicial District – Greg Glass 
District Judge, 228th Judicial District – Samuel “Sam” Milledge II 
District Judge, 230th Judicial District – Chris Morton
District Judge, 240th Judicial District – Surendran K. Pattel 
District Judge, 248th Judicial District – Hilary Unger 
District Judge, 263rd Judicial District – Melissa Marie Morris 
District Judge, 270th Judicial District – Dedra Davis 
District Judge, 312th Judicial District – Paul Antonio Calzada 
District Judge, 315th Judicial District – Leah Shapiro 
District Judge, 458th Judicial District – Stephen Longoria 
District Judge, 482nd Judicial District – Veronica Monique Nelson 
Harris County – County Judge – Lina Hidalgo 
Harris County – County Civil Court At Law No. 4 – Manpreet Monica Singh 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 7 – Andrew Wright 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 10 – Juanita Jackson
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 2 – Jannell Robles 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 3 – Porscha Natasha Brown 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 5 – David Marcel Fleischer 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law No. 6 – Kelley Andrews 
Harris County – County Criminal Court At Law. No. 8 – Franklin Bynum 
Harris County – Probate Court No. 2 – Michael Newman 
Harris County – District Clerk – Marilyn Burgess 
Harris County – County Treasurer – Dylan Osborne 
Harris County – County Commissioner Precinct 2 – Adrian Garcia 
Harris County – County Commissioner Precinct 4 – Lesley Briones 
Harris County – Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2 – Steve Duble 

For more information about The Caucus, visit thecaucus.org.