Chris Daniel

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Chris Daniel

Republican Party

Prior offices

Harris County District Clerk

Successor: Marilyn Burgess

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Austin, 2005

Law

South Texas College of Law, 2010

Personal

Birthplace

Houston, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Lawyer, partner at government consulting firm

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Chris Daniel (Republican Party) was the Harris County District Clerk in Texas. He assumed office in 2011. He left office on January 1, 2019.

Daniel (Republican Party) ran for election for Harris County District Clerk in Texas. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Daniel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Chris Daniel was born in Houston, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005 and a law degree from the South Texas College of Law in 2010. His career experience includes working as a lawyer and as a partner at a government consulting firm.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2022)

General election

General election for Harris County District Clerk

Incumbent Marilyn Burgess defeated Chris Daniel in the general election for Harris County District Clerk on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Burgess (D)	51.2	546,127
		Chris Daniel (R)	48.8	520,487

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,066,614
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County District Clerk

Incumbent Marilyn Burgess defeated Desiree Broadnax in the Democratic primary for Harris County District Clerk on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Burgess	61.4	90,351
	Submit photo	Desiree Broadnax	38.6	56,801

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 147,152
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County District Clerk

Chris Daniel advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County District Clerk on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Daniel	100.0	136,331

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 136,331
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Daniel's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Incumbent Ann Harris Bennett defeated Chris Daniel and Billy Pierce in the general election for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Harris Bennett (D)	53.1	834,405
		Chris Daniel (R)	43.6	685,791
		Billy Pierce (L)	3.3	52,045

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,572,241
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Incumbent Ann Harris Bennett defeated Jolanda Jones and Jack Terence in the Democratic primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ann Harris Bennett	58.3	157,161
		Jolanda Jones	37.8	101,760
	Submit photo	Jack Terence	3.9	10,590

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 269,511
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Chris Daniel advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Daniel	100.0	155,745

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 155,745
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector

Billy Pierce advanced from the Libertarian convention for Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector on March 14, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Billy Pierce (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2018)

General election

General election for Harris County District Clerk

Marilyn Burgess defeated incumbent Chris Daniel in the general election for Harris County District Clerk on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Burgess (D)	55.1	653,284
		Chris Daniel (R)	44.9	532,463

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,185,747
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Harris County District Clerk

Marilyn Burgess defeated Roslyn Shorter in the Democratic primary runoff for Harris County District Clerk on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Burgess	71.6	37,251
	Submit photo	Roslyn Shorter	28.4	14,804

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,055
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County District Clerk

Marilyn Burgess and Roslyn Shorter advanced to a runoff. They defeated Kevin Howard and Michael Jordan in the Democratic primary for Harris County District Clerk on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marilyn Burgess	49.2	69,546
✔	Submit photo	Roslyn Shorter	23.4	33,083
	Submit photo	Kevin Howard	15.2	21,487
	Submit photo	Michael Jordan	12.1	17,163

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,279
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County District Clerk

Incumbent Chris Daniel advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County District Clerk on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Daniel	100.0	112,331

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 112,331
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Chris Daniel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Daniel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native Houstonian, mechanical engineer, lawyer, and husband & father of two. I am the former Harris County District Clerk running to return to that office. I am also a former Trustee of Lone Star College system. I am an Eagle Scout, volunteer, and unpaid board member to various non-profit boards. I speak Dutch as a second language, am an avid traveler, and scuba dive as a hobby. As an engineer I served as project manager on various manufacturing lines, and test projects, as well as design manager. As District Clerk I oversaw the largest court system in Texas, including the transition of over 90 courts from paper to paperless (electronic) courts, and the implementation of many electronic processes including electronic subpoenas.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need to restore the courthouse to working order. The system went from first-rate to non-working within the first 6 months of the incumbents term.
• We need to refocus the office on public safety and keeping criminals off the streets. We cannot allow computer failures to free criminals and further harm Harris County
• We need to find ways to save taxpayer money instead of the many "Penny-wise, Pound Foolish" programs the incumbent implemented

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about tax reform and moving away from federal income taxes. I believe in personal responsibility and personal freedom, and support those laws that encourage both. I believe in limited government and advocate for the reduction in government size so that we are not dependent upon the government, where possible. I am pro-family and advocate for the rights of parents over local government. I am in favor of sensible progressive reform, especially where technology increases services while reducing cost to the taxpayer. Protecting civil liberties should take the viewpoint of protecting as many people as possible and not the vantage of protecting a select few to the detriment (decreased civil liberties) of the many. I am passionate about education and insuring a sound education is available to all, while simultaneously curtailing local government waste and overreach into education. While I promote practical criminal justice reform, I support public safety first.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my dad and his friends who stepped in after my father was killed by a drunk driver. They each contributed to my life in valuable life lessons, viewpoints, and work history. Each assisted my sticking with scouts and making it to Eagle, and each was there to make sure I succeeded in college and night law school.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Federalist Papers & the Anti-Federalist Papers

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Temperament, the ability to listen, and the ability to know what you don't know. It is best not to "have to be right" and to put ego aside. This is public service so the public should come first.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Previously held office twice, large office management experience, multiple degrees in diverse fields, and the successful ability to work across party lines to build bridges and complete multi-agency projects.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To maintain the records, maintain a functioning jury system, and to ensure the courts are adequately staffed so that justice can continue.

What legacy would you like to leave?

the most successful and smoothest run courthouse in Texas.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Challenger Explosion. I was 4. Early in life I wanted to be both a pilot and astronaut but found out I couldn't since I am legally deaf in one year.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was an A/C repairman assistant and apprentice journeyman plumber summers until I completed college. I worked for Mr. Air Air-conditioning and Alief Repair (commercial side), and learned the value of hard work, manual labor, and teamwork under harsh humid attic conditions of Houston. I started at and worked till 22 on summer and winter vacations. My first fulltime job beyond that was with Senior Advantage, as a clerk, helping seniors qualify for assistance.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Lee Iacocca an Autobiography: it showcases the American dream, failure, recovery in one man's life and how to apply his life lessons so that we can all succeed.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Top Gun, highway to the danger zone

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

the inability to hear out of my left ear: creates a "blind spot" where people think I am ignoring them, and makes it difficult to hear multiple conversations at once.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The District Clerk is a passport processing facility thanks to me. You can bypass the post office and get faster service in renewing passports. Also, the District Clerk is one of the largest repository of historical court cases going back to the founding of Texas. Many hidden gems of knowledge in the little-visited Historic Document Room. Many people new to the website are surprised you can do a free background check there.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I am a strict Constitutional Constructionist and I caution against overzeals legal activism. I believe in fair equity but again not to the detriment of society as a whole. In simple terms I believe in doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Judge Mark Davidson for his ability to embrace technology, handle a myriad of cases simultaneously, and his passion for saving history.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

yes.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

no

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I was the clerk of courts--The District Clerk-- of Harris County for two terms, shepherding in the greatest expansion in services and access to justice in recent memory. I only lost because of straight-ticket voting. Apples to apples, I know the lawyers and voters in general will want a return to responsible government that actually works. The public demand that citations are served on time, that the database is current and accurate and synchronized appropriately with other agencies; that jury duty actually happen and in sufficient volume that case backlog is reduced; that we aren't wasting money in trying to perform the key functions of the office. The public demand that someone with actual legal experience run the largest judicial system in Texas.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

sometimes. depends on the position or court

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

I am concerned at the over centralization of court duties to the state level and believe much of the control should remain local so that the local system can rapidly adapt to any outage or issue. Local control also improves access.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

Continued innovation with technology to expand remote access to the courthouse via apps, web portals, and more.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

We need to fix this courthouse first before I would even consider the question.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

no

Tell us your favorite joke.

Two Russians were walking the street and one said to the other: "is this it? have we achieved full communism as promised?" and his companion said "Oh no! --Its going to get a lot worse!"

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Chris Daniel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys

Chris Daniel participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 6, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Chris Daniel's responses follow below.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“

1) Continue to promote revolutionary courthouse technology to speed up processes and save taxpayer money 2) Continue to expand outreach programs to increase juror participation, which increases confidence in jury by peers—while also saves taxpayer money 3) Continue to expand available services, like passports, to provide more government tools taxpayers can use while at the District Clerks Office

”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“

Access to justice, tax reform, right to life: expanded access to justice—especially through technology—allows us to deliver the founding fathers intentions of equal justice & rights for all; tax reform is a must so that people can afford to live in our communities and afford good government; the right to life is sacred and should not be abridged.

”

Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Chris Daniel answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

“

My father and my godfather, as well as historical figures like Thomas Jefferson & Susan B. Anthony . I find these men and women espouse the principles & leadership necessary to carry us forward as a society.

”

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

“

The constitution of Liberty

”

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

“

Honesty, bold leadership in the face of adversity, forward thinking

”

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

“

Honesty, bold leadership in the face of adversity, forward thinking. Add to this the ability to handle a crisis

”

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

“

Integrity of the court record and timely access to it, plus the handling of juries as efficiently as possible.

”

What legacy would you like to leave?

“

A completed historical document library of all court records from the founding of Texas, and a completed web portal detailing the history of clerks that have served the office

”

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

“

Challenger explosion, four years old

”

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

“

A/c repair technician assistant; every summer from 14 to the end of college

”

What happened on your most awkward date?

“

N/a

”

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

“

Christmas. The gathering of family and friends

”

What is your favorite book? Why?

“

The Bible; a great manual for life

”

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

“

My boy scout uniforms; I enjoyed my service to my community and the reminder of it

”

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

“

Stars and Stripes by Lee Greenwood

”

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

“

The early death of my father—killed by a drunk driver—when I was 12

”

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

“

The gate keeper of records access and the monitor on numbers of filings, file types, and who is exactly doing what at the courthouse

”

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

“

The protection of the court record

”

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

“

The ability to coordinate the appointment of “umpires” for insurance cases

”

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

“

Yes. Especially in key administrative functions

”

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

“

Engineering, legal, and technology related skills.

”

2016 delegate

Daniel was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Texas. Daniel was one of 104 delegates from Texas bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention. Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Texas, 2016 and Republican delegates from Texas, 2016

At-large delegates from Texas to the national convention were selected by a state nominations committee and approved by the Texas State GOP Convention in May 2016. District-level delegates were elected by congressional districts at the state convention and then approved by the convention as a whole. At the national convention, all delegates were bound on the first ballot unless their candidate withdrew from the race or released his or her delegates. A delegate remained bound on the second ballot if his or her candidate received at least 20 percent of the total vote on the first ballot. On the third and subsequent ballots, all delegates were to become unbound.

Texas primary results

See also: Presidential election in Texas, 2016

Texas Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Jeb Bush	1.2%	35,420	0
Ben Carson	4.2%	117,969	0
Chris Christie	0.1%	3,448	0
Ted Cruz	43.8%	1,241,118	104
Carly Fiorina	0.1%	3,247	0
Lindsey Graham	0.1%	1,706	0
Elizabeth Gray	0.2%	5,449	0
Mike Huckabee	0.2%	6,226	0
John Kasich	4.2%	120,473	0
Rand Paul	0.3%	8,000	0
Marco Rubio	17.7%	503,055	3
Rick Santorum	0.1%	2,006	0
Donald Trump	26.8%	758,762	48
Other	1%	29,609	0
Totals		2,836,488	155
Source: Texas Secretary of State and CNN

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Texas had 155 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 108 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 36 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the primary vote in a district in order to be eligible to receive any of that district's delegates. If only one candidate met the 20 percent threshold in a district, he or she won all of the district's delegates. If two candidates met this threshold, the first place finisher received two of the district's delegates; the second place finisher received the remaining delegate. If no candidate won 20 percent of the vote, the top three finishers in a district each received one of the district's delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all of the district's delegates.

Of the remaining 47 delegates, 44 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. If only one candidate broke the 20 percent threshold, the second place finisher still received a portion of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.

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