Republican Harris County judge nominee Orlando Sanchez has run a moderate campaign relative to some of his statewide GOP colleagues, and has tried to distance himself from the most extreme figures in his party – but he has not rejected them outright.
In a year when the political headwinds appear to be blowing to the left, Sanchez has touted positive relationships with some local Democrats and hammered traditional conservative talking points on public safety and tax relief. But the former county treasurer and Houston city council member also has said he is “playing for the red team” at a time when the GOP has shifted right, a balancing act experts said may be hard to pull off in “light blue” Harris County.
Sanchez said he was “deeply troubled” by GOP Railroad Commission nominee last month. But he did not join fellow Republicans in saying he wouldn’t vote for French…