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Allison Harbison
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Allison Harbison is a judge of the Shelby County Court in Texas. She was first elected in 2000. She was re-elected in 2014, effective January 1, 2015, for a term that expires on December 31, 2018.[1]
Elections
2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Harbison ran for re-election to the Shelby County Court.
Primary: She was successful in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 50.05 percent of the vote. She competed against Rick Campbell. Harbison won the election by just one vote, 1,629 to 1,628. The county reviewed five provisional ballots, and Campbell sought a recount.
General: She won without opposition in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[1][2]
Education
Harbison earned an associate of science degree from Panola College in 1998. She later graduated with a bachelor's degree in social work from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2000.[3]
Career
- 2000-2018: Judge, Shelby County Court
- 1989-2000: Deputy County Clerk, Shelby County[3]
Harbison and her husband also established their own grocery store in 1989, which she managed for eleven years.[3]
Noteworthy events
Challenger wins primary race by three votes
A challenger for the Shelby County Court won the closest Texas election in 2014, ousting an incumbent judge with just three votes.
A preliminary count indicated Judge Rick Campbell's opponent, Allison Harbison, won the March 4, 2014 primary by a single vote. According to that first count, Harbison captured 1,629 votes to Campbell's 1,628. However, the count included five provisional ballots which had to be verified. Additionally, the close race required a recount.[2]
The recount, held on March 17, 2014, produced the following total: Harbison with 1,633 votes and Campbell with 1,630 votes. Before the recount, each candidate gained one vote from verified provisional ballots.[4]
Harbison said she believed the support of many concerned about the lack of available emergency care in the county, after the Shelby County Medical Center closed suddenly during the summer of 2013, may have made a difference in the election. On August 12, 2013, a toddler, Edith Gonzalez, died after she choked on a grape. Her parents rushed her to the medical center for treatment, unaware the hospital had closed. They had been unable to get an ambulance to come their home fast enough. The nearest hospital emergency room was located 21 miles away.[5]
After the tragedy, hundreds of residents petitioned officials, including Judge Campbell, to try to improve access to emergency care. However, officials didn't respond and nothing was done because the county didn't have enough money.[2]
According to a Dallas News article, in October 2013, Campbell said:
| “ | . . .as a Republican, he’s philosophically averse to too much government interference in private health care — particularly when the county itself faces budget shortfalls...But residents also need to take more responsibility for their own care by developing their own safety plans.[5][6] | ” |
Harbison had served as the clerk of the court for 14 years prior to the election. Campbell was appointed to the court in 2009. He and his family had been involved in area politics for generations. Statewide, no other race ended with such a close count.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dallas News, "County judge's 1-vote defeat in East Texas- the slimmest statewide- tied to concerns over closed hospital," March 5, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Official campaign website of Allison Harbison, "Allison Harbison for Shelby County Judge," accessed July 10, 2014
- ↑ Panola Watchman.com, "Recount shows Shelby County voters elected female county judge," March 18, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Dallas News, "Loss of East Texas town’s hospital hits home after toddler chokes, dies, October 2, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
