'This Week In Texas' puts spotlight on Harris County Judge's race

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- One of the key local political races in 2022 is that for Harris County Judge, and it is the focus of the latest installment of our "This Week In Texas" program.

In this episode, you will hear from Democrat County Judge Lina Hidalgo and from her Republican opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, in this November's general election.

Both of them share their priorities for the respective campaign, among them being safety and security.

"Everyone deserves to be safe," Hidalgo told ABC13. "I am someone who was born in Colombia in the middle of a drug war when everyone knew someone who had been kidnapped, and my parents left because they wanted to be in a safe place. So, I don't have to be told what it means to not be safe. And I know the importance of being safe as a person and being safe in terms of your property. So that is a key priority."

Mealer said that crime and public safety were the impetus for her entry into the race.

"It seems like politics touches every aspect of your life," she said. "It wasn't something I was looking to get into, but I saw my neighborhood started to change. (I) didn't really understand what that change was, chief of it being petty crime turning to violent crime and very quickly identified that it was our county government or commissioner's court that had the biggest role."

You can watch their full interviews and gain insight from our panel of political insiders on "This Week In Texas" in the video player above.

For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.