In a tight and tense vote, Harris County commissioners on Thursday approved Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin as interim Harris County attorney in a 3-2 decision. Her appointment is scheduled to kick in on June 15, 2026, and she is set to stay in the role through the end of the year. Kamin will hang on to her City Council seat as a holdover member until her successor is sworn in, which leaves the District C post to be settled in a runoff.
Split Vote And Pushback On The Floor
The appointment followed a contentious back-and-forth in Commissioners Court, with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Tom Ramsey breaking from the majority and voting no. “We have the authority to do this, but it doesn’t feel right,” Hidalgo told colleagues, while Ramsey added, “I think it matters how you do something. I don’t think this is the correct way to do this,” according to Houston Public Media. Even amid the friction, commissioners took time to praise outgoing interim county attorney Jonathan Fombonne for his brief stint leading the office.
Kamin’s Campaign And The November Matchup
Kamin, a civil-rights lawyer who has represented northern and central Houston on City Council since 2020, has already been running to lead the Harris County Attorney’s Office on a permanent basis and earlier this year won the Democratic primary. Her decision to jump into that race triggered Texas’ resign-to-run rules and launched the special election process for her council seat, according to the Houston Chronicle. She is slated to face Republican Jacqueline Lucci Smith in the November general election.
District C Race Still Unsettled
The special election to replace Kamin on City Council failed to produce a majority winner in early April, sending community organizer Joe Panzarella and real-estate professional Nick Hellyar into a runoff this spring. That contest, now scheduled for a May runoff, means the City Council vacancy will stay unsettled even as Kamin prepares to step into county duties, local reporting shows. ABC13 covered the results.
Short-Term Turnover In County Legal Leadership
Jonathan Fombonne, who was tapped as interim county attorney in January while Christian Menefee pursued a congressional bid, stepped down ahead of the court’s move to install Kamin. Click2Houston reported on his January selection. The commissioners’ vote now clears a path for Kamin to assume the interim post on June 15, and Houston Public Media noted that the court publicly praised Fombonne’s work during the transition.
What To Watch Next
As interim county attorney, Kamin will advise elected leaders and oversee litigation that affects county policy, a portfolio with reach that can extend well beyond a single election year. The narrow margin on her appointment highlights how the office has become both a partisan and procedural flashpoint, and the coming months will show whether this interim pick reshapes the dynamics heading into November.
