FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Fort Bend County Judge-elect KP George still has an accent 25 years after immigrating to the United States. But he made history Tuesday night, no matter how you say it.
“I am the first South Asian county judge -- period -- in the state of Texas,” George said. “I thought it would be much closer.”
George, who’s been on the Fort Bend ISD school board for five years, defeated longtime incumbent Robert Hebert. He rode a “blue wave” two years after the increasingly diverse county backed Hillary Clinton.
“Now it looks like the county’s elected officials are a reflection of the demographics of Fort Bend County,” George said.
Data from the county clerk’s office shows Fort Bend voters opted for Democrats in virtually every county-wide race and will get their first Democratic district attorney in 26 years.
“This was a product of Democratic voters voting straight ticket at a high rate, and Republicans, for a variety of reasons, choosing not to vote straight ticket,” said KHOU political analyst Bob Stein.
But Stein says in Fort Bend County in particular, demographics matter more than in other areas. And older voters are gradually being replaced by those who think differently.
“Increasingly, higher proportions of non-Anglo voters, all of which are young and non-white, spell a Democratic victory,” Stein said.
George, who helps make up Fort Bend’s 21-percent Asian population, doesn’t get bogged down in data.
“I believe you need to go out and connect with people, and you need to tell your story,” George said. “And when you talk to people, be genuine about it. When I tell you I care about you, better mean it.”
George takes office in January. His campaign priorities included better emergency preparedness and the creation of a flood control district.