Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones has won reelection to a second four-year term, according to unofficial results from the November 3, 2026 general election. The Democratic incumbent received 189,161 votes, or 62.30%, defeating Republican challenger Steve Radack, who received 114,401 votes, or 37.68%.

The outcome keeps Briones in the office she first won in 2022, giving her another four years to represent more than 1.2 million residents across western Harris County. For homeowners, families and local businesses, the election has implications for county priorities ranging from flood prevention and road improvements to public safety, parks and how taxpayer dollars are spent.

Briones finished with a 74,760-vote lead over Radack, a former Harris County commissioner who served Precinct 3 for 32 years before retiring in 2020. Write-in candidate Michelle Gwinn received 59 votes, representing 0.02% of the total.

The election results remain unofficial until the county completes its required canvass.

Harris County Precinct 4 Election Results Show Briones Leading Across All Voting Methods

According to the reported November 3 election results, 303,621 votes were recorded in the Harris County Precinct 4 commissioner race.

Early voting accounted for the largest share of votes, with 225,430 cast before Election Day. Another 68,785 votes were recorded on November 3, while 9,406 were cast by mail.

Briones led in all three voting categories, receiving 142,281 early votes, 41,156 Election Day votes and 5,724 mail votes. Radack received 83,117 early votes, 27,617 Election Day votes and 3,667 mail votes.

The results represent a second consecutive election victory for Briones, who first joined Harris County Commissioners Court in January 2023.

Who Is Lesley Briones? Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Begins Second Term in 2027

Briones made history in 2022 when she became the first woman elected to represent Harris County Precinct 4. A native Texan raised in Laredo by two public school teachers, she began her professional career in education before moving into law and public service.

After graduating with honors from Harvard University, Briones returned to Laredo to teach middle and high school students in underserved communities. She later earned her law degree from Yale Law School.

Her career has included practicing law at Vinson & Elkins LLP, serving as general counsel and chief operating officer of the Laura & John Arnold Foundation, and working as a judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4.

As commissioner, Briones has focused on public safety, flood mitigation, infrastructure improvements, access to health care and economic opportunity.

According to Harris County Precinct 4, her administration supported efforts to add six criminal district courts, expand the Sheriff's Office Violent Persons Warrants Task Force and TeleDeputy programs, and increase resources addressing domestic violence.

Infrastructure has also been a major part of her first term. Through the Call 4 Projects initiative within the Places 4 People program, Precinct 4 has partnered with local organizations on improvements addressing flooding, roadway safety, neighborhood connectivity and access to parks.

The county's current Places 4 People program website reports $332.6 million in combined investments across 69 projects, reflecting a broader program total than the $220 million across 52 projects previously highlighted in Briones' official biography. These figures represent shared investments by the county and its partners, rather than county spending alone, and do not mean that every project has been completed.

Briones' office also reports supporting more than $17 million in workforce-related investments, efforts to increase property tax exemptions for homeowners age 65 and older, and the installation of lactation pods in county facilities.

Other initiatives during her first term included allocating $6 million to a Reproductive Health Care Access Fund and helping establish Harris County's first LGBTQIA+ Commission.

These efforts have involved coordination with other members of Commissioners Court, county departments and community partners.

Briones and her husband, Adán, live in Houston with their three daughters.

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Steve Radack Returns to Harris County Politics After 32 Years as Commissioner

Briones faced a challenger with an extensive history in Harris County government.

Steve Radack, a Republican, previously served as Harris County Precinct 3 commissioner from 1988 through 2020, a period that included significant residential and commercial growth across the Houston region.

During his 32 years on Commissioners Court, Radack was involved in county decisions concerning roads, drainage, parks, public facilities and budget priorities.

His retirement in 2020 ended one of the longer tenures on Harris County Commissioners Court. In the 2026 election, he returned to the ballot seeking the Precinct 4 seat, which had been held by Briones since 2023.

Radack was not Briones' immediate predecessor in Precinct 4. That position was previously held by Republican Jack Cagle, whom Briones defeated in the November 2022 election.

The 2026 contest brought together two candidates with different backgrounds in county government: Briones, seeking to continue the work of her first term, and Radack, seeking to return to Commissioners Court after his retirement.

Harris County Precinct 4 Voter Turnout Reaches 49.26%, With Differences Across Neighborhood Precincts

The precinct-level election data provides a closer look at participation across the district.

According to the supplied voter turnout report, 316,134 ballots were cast among 641,703 registered voters in the listed voting precincts, producing an overall reported turnout of 49.26%.

That figure is different from the 303,621 votes recorded in the commissioner race because not every ballot cast included a recorded vote for that particular office.

Turnout also varied considerably among individual election precincts.

In precinct 0624, where 6,317 voters were registered, 3,685 ballots were cast, representing a 58.33% turnout rate. Briones received 2,199 votes in the commissioner contest compared with 1,344 for Radack.

Precinct 0309 recorded a higher turnout rate of 67.45%, with 2,796 ballots cast among 4,145 registered voters. Radack received 1,770 votes there, while Briones received 920.

In precinct 0431, Briones received 1,195 votes compared with 267 for Radack. Overall voter turnout in that precinct was 33.46%, with 1,536 ballots cast among 4,590 registered voters.

These differences illustrate how voting participation and candidate support varied across the district. Individual election precincts do not necessarily align with neighborhood or municipal boundaries, and their results should not be interpreted as representing an entire community without additional geographic information.

Residents can review election information and precinct-level results through the Harris County election website.

Why the Precinct 4 Commissioner Election Matters for Harris County Homeowners and Families

While county commissioner elections often receive less attention than statewide and national races, the decisions made by Harris County Commissioners Court affect services that residents use regularly.

Precinct 4 encompasses a large portion of western Harris County and includes five cities, 55 parks and 10 community centers, according to the county.

The commissioner helps oversee services within the precinct while also participating in countywide decisions involving infrastructure, public safety, emergency preparedness, health services and the county budget.

For neighborhoods that have experienced flooding, those decisions may involve drainage improvements, flood control partnerships and disaster preparedness resources.

For families, county investments can affect parks, trails, road safety and recreational facilities. Local businesses also have an interest in transportation infrastructure, public safety and economic development.

Property owners and taxpayers have a stake in how Commissioners Court balances spending priorities, infrastructure needs and available revenue.

Briones' reelection means the precinct will continue under her leadership as projects initiated during her first term advance through planning, funding, design and construction. However, individual projects remain subject to their respective schedules, funding arrangements and required approvals.

What Happens Next? Harris County Must Certify the November 2026 Election Results

Although Briones has been reported as the winner of the Precinct 4 commissioner race, the results must still complete the official election canvass.

According to the Texas Secretary of State's October 23, 2026 election advisory, the local canvass for county and precinct races must take place no earlier than Friday, November 6, 2026, and no later than Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

The canvass takes place after qualifying provisional ballots, certain corrected mail ballots and eligible late-arriving ballots have been processed.

Once the official results are finalized, Briones is expected to begin her second term in January 2027.

For Harris County Precinct 4 residents, the next four years will bring continued decisions about drainage and flood mitigation, transportation infrastructure, public safety resources, parks and other county services.

Residents who want to follow those decisions can attend or watch Harris County Commissioners Court meetings, review published agendas and monitor updates about projects affecting their neighborhoods.

The election results determine who will represent Precinct 4, but the decisions made after the election will help shape how communities throughout western Harris County continue to grow and change.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for updates on the official Harris County 2026 election results and the local government decisions affecting Precinct 4 residents.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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