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Fort Bend County, Texas
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==Government and politics== {{PresHead|place=Fort Bend County, Texas|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=April 24, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323225526/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|archive-date=March 23, 2018}}</ref>}} <!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} --> {{PresRow|2024|Democratic|173,592|179,310|10,613|Texas}} {{PresRow|2020|Democratic|157,718|195,552|5,063|Texas}} {{PresRow|2016|Democratic|117,291|134,686|10,089|Texas}} {{PresRow|2012|Republican|116,126|101,144|2,219|Texas}} {{PresRow|2008|Republican|103,206|98,368|1,248|Texas}} {{PresRow|2004|Republican|93,625|68,722|822|Texas}} {{PresRow|2000|Republican|73,567|47,569|2,373|Texas}} {{PresRow|1996|Republican|49,945|38,163|4,748|Texas}} {{PresRow|1992|Republican|41,039|29,992|17,000|Texas}} {{PresRow|1988|Republican|39,818|23,351|615|Texas}} {{PresRow|1984|Republican|41,370|18,729|110|Texas}} {{PresRow|1980|Republican|25,366|11,583|1,337|Texas}} {{PresRow|1976|Republican|17,354|11,264|169|Texas}} {{PresRow|1972|Republican|10,475|4,541|73|Texas}} {{PresRow|1968|Republican|4,573|4,493|2,448|Texas}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|3,493|6,186|20|Texas}} {{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,301|4,339|71|Texas}} {{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,779|2,464|73|Texas}} {{PresRow|1952|Republican|3,974|3,241|11|Texas}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,016|2,058|539|Texas}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|442|2,781|757|Texas}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|748|3,101|0|Texas}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|176|2,588|11|Texas}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|148|3,109|8|Texas}} {{PresRow|1928|Democratic|631|1,724|2|Texas}} {{PresRow|1924|Democratic|356|1,690|204|Texas}} {{PresRow|1920|American|0|27|902|Texas}} {{PresRow|1916|Democratic|329|788|23|Texas}} {{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|276|679|155|Texas}} {{U.S. SenHead|place=Fort Bend County, Texas|Seat=1|source=<ref>{{cite news |title=2024 Senate Election (Official Returns) |website=Commonwealth of Texas by county |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/texas-senate-results}}</ref>}} <!-- U.S. SenRow should be {{U.S. SenRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} --> {{U.S. SenRow|2024|Democratic|159,691|186,710|9,740|Texas}} {{U.S. SenFoot}} County politics in Fort Bend County, as in all Texas counties, center around a commissioners' court. It is composed of four popularly elected county commissioners, one representing each precinct drawn decennially on the basis of population, and a county judge elected to represent the entire county. Other county officials include a sheriff, district attorney, tax assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, county treasurer, and county attorney. For decades, Fort Bend County was a stronghold for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], having achieved [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchisement]] of Blacks at the county level in 1889 in the aftermath of the [[Jaybird–Woodpecker War]].<ref name="jay" /> The state effectively disfranchised them with a [[Poll taxes in the United States|poll tax]] and [[White primaries]]; the latter device was declared unconstitutional in 1944. By 1960, so few Republicans resided in Fort Bend County that the county's [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] chair once received a letter addressed simply to "Mr. Republican".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortbendgop.org/history.htm|title=Party History|date=November 20, 2002|access-date=April 24, 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021120053025/http://www.fortbendgop.org/history.htm|archive-date=November 20, 2002}}</ref> As the 1960s progressed, though, rapid suburban-style development in west and southwest Houston began to overflow into Fort Bend County, where the development of numerous master-planned communities attracted many upper-middle-class families to developments in the eastern portion of the county. This development, along with the shift of conservative white Democrats towards the Republican Party in the wake of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], led to increased support for the GOP in the following years.<ref name="voting">Bernstein, Alan and Zen T. C. Zheng. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6368568.html Fort Bend accepts vote decree] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412070513/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6368568.html|date=April 12, 2009}}," ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. April 10, 2009. Retrieved on April 11, 2009.</ref> [[Richard Nixon]] narrowly carried the county in 1968, making it the only county in greater Houston outside of Harris County to go Republican that year, and carried it again in 1972. In 1976, conservative physician [[Ron Paul]] of Brazoria County, noted for his opposition to most government programs, which earned him the nickname "Dr. No", captured the [[Texas's 22nd congressional district|22nd district]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]] in a special election, before narrowly losing re-election in the November election in which [[Gerald Ford]] also won Fort Bend, despite losing Texas to [[Jimmy Carter]]. Beginning in 1978, Republicans began to win several offices within the county, with [[Bill Clements|William P. Clements]] carrying the county in his successful run for governor. That same year, Paul was returned to Congress, while businessman [[Tom DeLay]] captured the county's seat in the [[Texas House of Representatives]]. In 1984 DeLay succeeded Paul in Congress after the latter ran an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign, and became House majority leader by 2002. Beginning in 1982, Republicans won a number of county-level offices and judicial benches, and Fort Bend County's new reputation as a Republican stronghold culminated in the 1994 election of a Republican county judge to the commissioners' court for the first time since Reconstruction. As of 2019, five of Fort Bend County's eight countywide offices, including two precinct-level positions, are held by Republicans. The remaining three are held by Democrats. With growing populations of minorities and more socially moderate suburban voters who often break Republican on fiscal and economic issues, Fort Bend County has recently become more competitive. In 2008, Democrat [[Barack Obama]] came very close to winning the county, with 48.6% of the vote to Republican [[John McCain]]'s 50.9%. In 2016, [[Hillary Clinton]] became the first Democrat to carry the county since [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1964, largely due to the unpopularity of Republican nominee [[Donald Trump]] amongst the county's largely suburban electorate (not unlike the situation with other similarly suburban counties during the Trump era), with many voters [[Split-ticket voting|splitting their tickets]] between Clinton and Republicans for other offices; Republicans won every elected countywide office by a margin similar to Clinton's, while also defeating an incumbent Democrat on the Fort Bend County Commissioners' Court.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://abc13.com/politics/political-shift-in-ft-bend-leans-toward-clinton-/1599201/|title=Political shift in Ft. Bend leans toward Clinton|last=Quinn |first=Kevin |date=November 10, 2016|newspaper=ABC13 Houston|language=en-US|access-date=November 10, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110235826/http://abc13.com/politics/political-shift-in-ft-bend-leans-toward-clinton-/1599201/|archive-date=November 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/Clinton-wins-FB-County-Republicans-dominate-10613295.php|title=Clinton wins FB County, Republicans dominate local races|last=Kadifa |first=Margaret |date=November 14, 2016|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|language=en-US|access-date=November 22, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123054038/http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/Clinton-wins-FB-County-Republicans-dominate-10613295.php|archive-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> In 2018, significant enthusiasm for U.S. Senate candidate [[Beto O'Rourke|Beto O' Rourke]] and strong Democratic infrastructure resulted in Democratic control of the commissioners' court (including county judge) and a number of countywide administrative and judicial posts, with [[Fort Bend Independent School District]] board trustee K.P. George becoming Texas's first Asian-American county judge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Indian-American-K-P-George-takes-historic-place-13498873.php |title=Indian-American K.P. George takes historic place as Fort Bend County judge |first=Lisa |last=Gray |date=January 2, 2019 |newspaper=Houston Chronicle}}</ref> The county would continue its Democratic trend in the 2020 election, with [[Joe Biden]] winning Fort Bend County over Trump by a margin of over 10 percent and Democrats sweeping all countywide races. In 2024, the diverse county swung slightly more Republican, with Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] only winning a narrow plurality over Trump and Republicans winning a majority of contested countywide and state judicial races. Today, Fort Bend County is often considered a swing county, with election results usually tilting more Democratic than statewide results, which continue to favor Republicans. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in more Republican-leaning areas in Sugar Land, Rosenberg, and Sienna, with Republicans dominating in the Katy, Fulshear, and rural southern areas of the county and Democrats in the county's northeast corner around Missouri City and Fresno, as well as heavily Hispanic Mission Bend. Fort Bend County is one of six "reverse pivot counties", counties that voted Republican in 2008 and 2012 before voting Democratic in 2016 onward.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Reverse-Pivot_Counties:_The_counties_that_voted_McCain-Romney-Clinton_from_2008-2016 |title=Reverse-Pivot Counties: The counties that voted McCain-Romney-Clinton from 2008-2016 |access-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105072046/https://ballotpedia.org/Reverse-Pivot_Counties:_The_counties_that_voted_McCain-Romney-Clinton_from_2008-2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the federal government has enforced it by regularly reviewing voting patterns and local practices, and plaintiffs have sometimes sued state or local governments over discriminatory practices. In April 2009, as part of a settlement with the [[United States Department of Justice]], officials of Fort Bend County agreed to increase assistance to [[Spanish language|Spanish-speaking]] Latino voters in elections held in the county.<ref name="voting" /> ===Commissioners' court=== {| class=wikitable |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Commissioners''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Name''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Party''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''First Elected''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Communities Represented''' |- | style="background:blue;"| | Judge | KP George | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2018 | Countywide |- | style="background:red;"| | Precinct 1 | Vincent Morales<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesunion.com/neighborhood/fortbend/news/article/Democratic-Fort-Bend-County-commissioner-10605021.php|title=Commissioner's defeat leaves 1 Dem on Fort Bend County board|website=timesunion.com|date=November 9, 2016|access-date=April 24, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424212026/https://www.timesunion.com/neighborhood/fortbend/news/article/Democratic-Fort-Bend-County-commissioner-10605021.php|archive-date=April 24, 2018}}</ref> | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2016 | Arcola, Beasley, Fairchilds, Fresno, Greatwood, Needville, Orchard, Richmond, Rosenberg, Sienna Plantation |- | style="background:blue;"| | Precinct 2 | Grady Prestage | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 1990 | eastern Stafford, most of Missouri City east of [[Farm to Market Road 1092|FM 1092]], Meadows Place, Mission Bend |- | style="background:red;"| | Precinct 3 | Andy Meyers | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 1996 | Cinco Ranch, Fulshear, Lakemont, Pecan Grove, Simonton, small portions of Sugar Land |- | style="background:blue;"| | Precinct 4 | Dexter L. McCoy | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2022 | Most of Sugar Land, Missouri City west of [[Farm to Market Road 1092|FM 1092]], New Territory, Riverstone |} ===County officials=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" align="center" valign="bottom" | '''Office''' ! align="center" valign="bottom" | '''Name''' ! align="center" valign="bottom" | '''Party''' |- | bgcolor="blue" | | County Attorney | Bridgette Smith-Lawson |Democratic |- | bgcolor="red" | | County Clerk | Laura Richard |Republican |- | bgcolor="blue" | | District Attorney | Brian Middleton |Democratic |- | bgcolor="blue" | | District Clerk | Beverley McGrew Walker |Democratic |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Sheriff | Eric Fagan |Democratic |- | bgcolor="blue" | | Tax Assessor-Collector | Carmen Turner |Democratic |- | bgcolor="red" | | Treasurer | Bill Rickert |Republican |} ===United States Congress=== Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=PLANC2193 - Capitol Data Portal |url=https://data.capitol.texas.gov/dataset/planc2193 |access-date=July 9, 2023 |website=data.capitol.texas.gov |language=en}}</ref> {| class=wikitable |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Senators''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Name''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Party''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''First Elected''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Level''' |- | style="background:red;"| | Senate Class 1 | [[Ted Cruz]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2012 | Junior Senator |- | style="background:red;"| | Senate Class 2 | [[John Cornyn]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2002 | Senior senator |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Representatives''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Name''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Party''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''First Elected''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented''' |- | style="background:blue;"| | District 7 | [[Lizzie Fletcher]] | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2018 | Mission Bend, Four Corners, western portions of Sugar Land, and unincorporated portions of the north-central part of the county |- | style="background:blue;"| | District 9 | [[Al Green (politician)|Al Green]] | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2004 | Northeastern corner of the county, including Fresno and most of Stafford, Missouri City, and the county's portion of Houston |- | style="background:red;"| | District 22 | [[Troy Nehls]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2020 | Greater Katy areas, Fulshear, Richmond, Rosenberg, Sienna, eastern portion of Sugar Land, and southwestern Missouri City |} ===Texas Legislature=== ====Texas Senate==== {| class=wikitable |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''District'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=PLANS2168 - Capitol Data Portal |url=https://data.capitol.texas.gov/dataset/plans2168 |access-date=July 9, 2023 |website=data.capitol.texas.gov |language=en}}</ref> ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Name''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Party''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''First Elected''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented''' |- | style="background:blue;"| | 13 | [[Borris Miles]] | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2016 | Fresno, Fifth Street, most of Missouri City, the county's share of Pearland and Stafford, and most of the county's share of Houston |- | style="background:red;"| | 17 | [[Joan Huffman]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2008 | Northwestern and southern areas of the county, including Fulshear, eastern portions of Sugar Land, and the county's share of Cinco Ranch and Katy |- | style="background:red;"| | 18 | [[Lois Kolkhorst]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |2015 (special) | Central areas of the county, including Richmond, Rosenberg, Mission Bend, Pecan Grove, Four Corners, and western portions of Sugar Land |} ====Texas House of Representatives==== {| class=wikitable |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''District'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=PLANH2316 - Capitol Data Portal |url=https://data.capitol.texas.gov/dataset/planh2316 |access-date=July 9, 2023 |website=data.capitol.texas.gov |language=en}}</ref> ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Name''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Party''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''First Elected''' ! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| '''Area(s) of Fort Bend County Represented''' |- | style="background:red;"| | 26 | [[Jacey Jetton]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2020 | Richmond, Pecan Grove, most of Cinco Ranch, some of Rosenberg and Katy, and other northern and central areas of the county |- | style="background:blue;"| | 27 | [[Ron Reynolds (Texas politician)|Ron Reynolds]] | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2010 | Missouri City, Sienna Plantation, Fresno, Arcola, much of Stafford, and county's share of Houston |- | style="background:red;"| | 28 | [[Gary Gates (politician)|Gary Gates]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2020 | Western and southern areas of county including Fulshear, most of Rosenberg and much of Sugar Land |- | style="background:blue;"| | 76 | [[Suleman Lalani]] | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | 2022 | Northern areas of county including Meadows Place, Four Corners, and some of Sugar Land, Stafford and Mission Bend |- | style="background:red;"| | 85 | [[Stan Kitzman]] | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | 2022 | Southern fringe of the county, including Thompsons and Kendleton; district also includes Austin, Colorado, Fayette, Waller and Wharton counties |} ===Corrections=== The Fort Bend County Jail is at 1410 Richmond Parkway in [[Richmond, Texas|Richmond]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20061003124955/http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us/getSitePage.asp?sitePage=5527 Detention]." ''Fort Bend County''. October 3, 2006.</ref> [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]] operates the following facilities in Fort Bend County, all at the [[Jester State Prison Farm]] site: Prisons for men: * [[Jester III Unit]] (unincorporated area)<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j3.htm JESTER III (J3)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821230234/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j3.htm |date=August 21, 2008}}." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved September 14, 2008.</ref> (co-located with the Jester units) * [[Carol Vance Unit]] (unincorporated area)<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j2.htm VANCE (J2)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821230553/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j2.htm |date=August 21, 2008}}." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved September 14, 2008.</ref> (co-located with the Jester units) Other facilities: * [[Jester I Unit]] – Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (unincorporated area)<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j1.htm JESTER I (J3)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821230555/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j1.htm |date=August 21, 2008}}." ''[[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]''. Retrieved September 14, 2008.</ref> (co-located with the Jester units) * [[Wayne Scott Unit]] (formerly Jester IV Unit) – Psychiatric Facility (unincorporated area)<ref>"[http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j4.htm JESTER IV (J4)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821225813/http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/unitdirectory/j4.htm |date=August 21, 2008}}." [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]. Retrieved September 14, 2008.</ref> (co-located with the Jester units), renamed in 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/connections/-articles/2021/20210600_renaming_units.html|title=TDCJ to Rename Three Prison Units |work=Criminal Justice Connections|publisher=[[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]]|date=June 2021|accessdate=February 19, 2023}}</ref> The TDCJ announced that the [[Central Unit]] in Sugar Land was closing in 2011. The City of Sugar Land is exploring the property for future economic development, including light industrial uses, as well as a potential expansion of Sugar Land Regional Airport.<ref>Ward, Mike. "[http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=59098 Texas closing prison as part of cutbacks] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401142044/http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=59098 |date=April 1, 2012 }}." ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' at KDH News. Wednesday August 3, 2011. Retrieved on September 23, 2011.</ref> ===County buildings=== <gallery widths="200px" heights="150px"> File:Richmond TX FBC Service Center.jpg|Fort Bend County Justice Center at 1422 Eugene Heimann Cir. File:Richmond TX Wm Travis Bldg.jpg|William B. Travis Building is just east of the courthouse. File:FortBendRosenAnnex.jpg|Fort Bend County Rosenberg Annex </gallery>
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