Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's Republican opponent drops lawsuit challenging 2022 election loss

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly eleven months after the November 2022 election, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's Republican opponent has dropped her lawsuit challenging the results, according to our partners at the Houston Chronicle.

Hidalgo received about 18,000 more votes than Alexandra del Moral Mealer last November. Mealer filed her election contest lawsuit in January of this year, one of 22 similar cases brought by GOP candidates in Harris County.

Three weeks ago Mealer's attorney quit, filing a letter with the court, saying she didn't support Mealer's claims of ballot fraud.

READ MORE: GOP opponent who challenged Harris Co. Judge Hidalgo in 2022 continues lawsuit with new counsel

New counsel represented her until the lawsuit was dropped.

Mealer's case originally challenged her election results based on the Election Day ballot paper shortages at about 20 polling locations, but her updated petition also included allegations that the county counted 32,000 illegal ballots.

"My goal in filing an election contest was not to relitigate my race, but rather to make sure future races are fair to all voters and candidates," Mealer said in a statement posted on social media. "To this end, I sought to uncover all the data and records I could that relate to the November 2022 election. Because my efforts have been exhausted, I am not nonsuiting my claims."

She said she will continue to advocate for changes to the Texas Election Code, specifically regarding public access to data.

Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee issued the following statement:

"I'm glad Mrs. Mealer finally realized what a waste of time and resources it was to litigate this case. She didn't win the election and she wasn't going to win the election contest, yet she insisted on continuing to spread conspiracy theories in an attempt to overturn the will of the voters. It's time for the other losing Republican candidates to drop their lawsuits as well.

I look forward to putting this behind us, and focusing on moving the county forward. With Early Voting just weeks away, I'm committed to supporting the voters of Harris County and doing my part to ensure a fair election."

The 2023 general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Houstonians will elect a new mayor in addition to voting for city councilmembers and the city controller. Early voting will run from Oct. 23 through Nov. 3.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know before voting for Houston's new mayor in November election