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Chris Hollins (politician)

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Chris Hollins
Hollins in 2023
City Controller of Houston
Assuming office
January 2024
SucceedingChris B. Brown
County Clerk of Harris County
Acting
In office
June 1, 2020 – November 17, 2020
Preceded byDiane Trautman
Succeeded byTeneshia Hudspeth
Personal details
Born
Christopher George Hollins

(1986-07-08) July 8, 1986 (age 38)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMorehouse College (BA)
Yale University (JD)
Harvard University (MBA)

Christopher George Hollins (born July 8, 1986) is an American attorney and politician who is the City Controller of Houston. He previously served as interim Harris County Clerk from June 2020 to November 2020. He is known for overseeing the 2020 United States presidential election in Harris County; many of his policies received resistance from state Republican officials.[1]

In February 2022, he announced a candidacy in the 2023 Houston mayoral election but withdrew in April 2023 to run for city controller. On December 9, 2023, Hollins was elected to be the city controller of Houston.

Early life and career

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Christopher George Hollins[2] was born on July 8, 1986[a] and is a 4th-generation Houstonian. His father worked for the Houston Police Department.[5] Growing up in Missouri City, Texas, he graduated from Hightower High School.[6] Hollins then attended Morehouse College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science.[7] Following graduation, Hollins went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.[8]

Hollins is an attorney.[9] His early professional experience includes positions with Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company where he operated as a management consultant.[10]

Interim Clerk for Harris County

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On May 16, 2020, the Commissioners Court for Harris County voted to appoint Hollins as Interim Clerk for Harris County, Texas by a 3–2, party-line vote after his predecessor, Diane Trautman, resigned from the position citing ill health.[11] At 33 years old,[12] Hollins was the youngest person to have ever held the position, as well as the first African American.[13][14] He took office on June 1, 2020.[15][16]

The Office of the Harris County Clerk is not only responsible for administering permits and other licenses or incorporation documents, but also responsible for managing all election responsibilities as the Harris County Elections Administrator.[17] Hollins submitted a plan to separate the responsibilities of overseeing the election from the Office of the Harris County Clerk into a new, separate appointed position: Harris County Elections Administrator. His efforts resulted in Isabel Longoria, a community organizer and special adviser to Hollins, being sworn in to the office via virtual ceremony on November 18, 2020.[18] Longoria was the first to hold the position.[18]

Hollins tenure as clerk ended on November 17, 2020, and he was succeeded by newly elected Teneshia Hudspeth.[19] Both during and following his tenure as Clerk, Hollins made both national and local news appearances, including but not limited to KTRK-TV (ABC);[20][21][22] Ayman;[23] and Zerlina.[24]

2020 U.S. presidential election and Texas voting restrictions

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See also: 2020 United States presidential election in Texas

Hollins was vocal in opposing Texas governor Greg Abbott's decision to allow only one drop-box per Texas county in the 2020 presidential election.[25]

Hollins sought to send out applications for postal (mail-in) ballots for the general election to each registered voter to Harris County. However, this plan was challenged by Republican officials, and was blocked by the Supreme Court of Texas in October 2020.[26][27] Other policies instituted by Hollins include expansion of in-person voting locations, the introduction of drive-through voting, developing COVID-19 safety guidelines regarding voting, extending voting hours to include 24-hour voting.[28][29][30][31]

On November 1, 2020, days before election day, the Supreme Court of Texas threw out a Republican challenge seeking to invalidate about 127,000 votes cast via the drive-through voting program Hollins implemented.[32] Two days later, a federal judge upheld the legitimacy of drive-through votes, rejecting a similar Republican effort to invalidate votes cast through this method.[33]

On September 7, 2021, Governor Abbott responded to the voting modifications Hollins put in place during his tenure as Clerk by signing a voting bill that tightened state election laws by limiting the ability to expand voting options at the county level.[34] The voting bill was scheduled to take effect just in time for the 2022 primary elections, but has since been stuck in federal court.[35]

In November 2020, Hollins appeared on various national and local news programs to discuss the Harris County elections, including MSNBC.[36][37][38][39]

Other political activities

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In 2009, Hollins was a summer intern during the presidency of Barack Obama.[7] As a White House intern, Hollins worked in the Office of Presidential Personnel which oversees the selection process for presidential appointments.[7]

After his tenure as County Clerk, Hollins was appointed to sit on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County.[40]

Hollins is the former Vice Chair of the Texas Democratic Party.[41]

Houston mayoral and city controller runs

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In February 2022, Hollins announced his candidacy in the 2023 Houston mayoral election to succeed Sylvester Turner, who's term-limited.[42] In the first five months of his candidacy, Hollins raised $1.1 million.[43] On April 6, 2023, Hollins withdrew from the mayoral race to instead run for city controller. He indicated that the entrance of Sheila Jackson Lee to the race influenced his decision to drop out. Hollins did not make an endorsement for any of the remaining candidates, but expressed admiration for Jackson Lee.[44][45]

In the city controller race, Hollins ran running against Orlando Sanchez, Dave Martin, and Shannon Nobles. Houston Public Media identified Hollins and Sanchez as the primary contenders.[46] In the first round, Hollins obtained 45% of the vote and Sanchez earned 27%. With both being shy of the 50% plus one threshold, they advanced to a runoff.[47] On December 8, Hollins won the runoff against Sanchez.[48]

Notes

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  1. ^ On July 8, 2021, Mayor Sylvester Turner wished Hollins a "Happy Birthday" on Twitter with Hollins responding in gratitude.[3] The Houston Chronicle reported Hollins to be age 35 on February 7, 2022.[4] This would place his birthday on July 8, 1986.

References

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  1. ^ Svitek, Patrick (March 23, 2022). "Former U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Edwards announces run for Houston mayor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "Christopher George Hollins Profile | Houston, TX Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/CGHollins/status/1413644505245523968. Retrieved April 28, 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ Scherer, Jasper (February 8, 2022). "Former Harris County clerk Chris Hollins announces run for Houston mayor". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Meet County Clerk Chris Hollins, the Man Fighting for Your Right to Vote". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  6. ^ Gaston, Gina (November 26, 2020). "Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins reveals his next move". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Tezeno, Diane (April 30, 2009). "Former Hightower High School student selected to serve in White House Internship Program". Chron.
  8. ^ "Attorney Chris Hollins new Harris County Clerk". Highlands Star/Crosby Courier.
  9. ^ Smith, David (January 30, 2022). "Trump tours the country in support of candidates pushing the 'big lie'". The Guardian.
  10. ^ Hardy, Michael (January 2021). "The Best Things in Texas, 2021: Lina Hidalgo and Chris Hollins". Texas Monthly.
  11. ^ Zedakar, Hannah (May 20, 2020). "Commissioners appoint Christopher Hollins interim Harris County clerk beginning June 1". Community Impact Newspaper.
  12. ^ "Attorney Chris Hollins sworn in as new Harris County Clerk". North Channel Star. June 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "September 16, 2020". Viceland. VICE TV.
  14. ^ "The Rachel Maddow Show". MSNBC. October 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Despart, Zach (May 20, 2020). "Texas Democratic Party official appointed interim Harris County clerk". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Despart, Zach (June 2, 2020). "Hollins confident experience will serve him as interim Harris County Clerk". HoustonChronicle.com.
  17. ^ Despart, Zack (June 1, 2020). "Hollins confident experience will serve him as Harris County Clerk". Houston Chronicle.
  18. ^ a b Zedaker, Hannah (November 18, 2020). "Isabel Longoria sworn in as Harris County's first-ever elections administrator". impact.
  19. ^ Gill, Julian (November 18, 2020). "Teneshia Hudspeth sworn in as new Harris County Clerk". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Gaston, Gina (November 25, 2020). "Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins reveals his next move".
  21. ^ Gaston, Gina (February 7, 2022). "Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins running for Houston mayor in 2023".
  22. ^ Homer, Michelle (February 7, 2022). "Chris Hollins will run to replace Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner".
  23. ^ Mohyeldin, Ayman (February 20, 2022). "Texas Democrat on the hypocrisy of state GOP election officials".
  24. ^ Maxwell, Zerlina (February 14, 2022). "Early voting begins in Texas".
  25. ^ Lopez, Ashley (October 2020). "Texas Governor Limits Ballot Drop-Off Locations, Local Officials Vow To Fight Back". NPR.org. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  26. ^ Killough, Ashley; Stracqualursi, Veronica (October 7, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court rules Harris County cannot mail out ballot applications to all registered voters". CNN. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  27. ^ Gershman, Jacob (October 7, 2020). "Houston Can't Send Unsolicited Mail-In Ballot Applications, Judges Rule". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Simon, Scott (September 19, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court Blocks Harris County Clerk From Sending Voters Mail-In Ballots". NPR.
  29. ^ Schneider, Andrew (June 15, 2020). "New Harris County Clerk Unveils Voter Safety Initiatives". Houston Public Media.
  30. ^ Zedaker, Hannah (July 23, 2020). "Harris County clerk requests early voting extension, pilots drive-thru voting ahead of November election". impact. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  31. ^ Deliso, Meredith (October 10, 2020). "Judge blocks Texas governor's order limiting number of ballot drop-off sites". ABC News. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  32. ^ McCullough, Jolie (November 1, 2020). "Texas Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to throw out nearly 127,000 Harris County votes". Texas Tribune.
  33. ^ Kates, Graham (November 3, 2020). "Federal judge rejects latest attempt to block nearly 127,000 drive-thru votes in Texas". CBS News.
  34. ^ Ura, Alexa (September 7, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks". The Texas Tribune.
  35. ^ Ura, Alexa (September 7, 2021). "Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks". The Texas Tribune.
  36. ^ Mitchel, Andrea (June 2, 2021). "Fmr. Harris County Clerk: State voting restrictions 'target' more diverse counties". MSNBC.
  37. ^ "Texas GOP ramps up attacks against voting access". March 21, 2021.
  38. ^ Tur, Katy (October 15, 2020). "Fed. court rules against GOP suit to limit drive-thru voting".
  39. ^ "Advocates demand Texas businesses speak out against restrictive voting bills". April 3, 2021.
  40. ^ Stuckey, Timothy (March 13, 2021). "Recent appointee to METRO board shares thoughts on new position". Urban Reform.
  41. ^ "Party Officers". Texas Democratic Party. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  42. ^ Scherer, Jasper (February 8, 2022). "Former Harris County clerk Chris Hollins announces run for Houston mayor". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  43. ^ McGuinness, Dylan (July 14, 2022). "Houston mayoral contenders rake in millions in campaign cash, setting new bar for early fundraising". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  44. ^ Schneider, Andrew (April 6, 2023). "Chris Hollins drops out of Houston mayor's race, declares candidacy for city controller – Houston Public Media". www.houstonpublicmedia.org. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  45. ^ Fechter, Joshua (April 6, 2023). "Former elections chief Chris Hollins drops bid for Houston mayor". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  46. ^ Schneider, Andrew (October 2, 2023). "The race for Houston city controller is likely to hinge on name recognition, partisanship – Houston Public Media". www.houstonpublicmedia.org. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  47. ^ Bureau, Andrew Schneider, Natalie Weber, Fort Bend County (November 8, 2023). "Chris Hollins, Orlando Sanchez advance to runoff in Houston city controller's contest – Houston Public Media". www.houstonpublicmedia.org. Retrieved November 8, 2023. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ Church, Yilun Cheng, Abby (December 10, 2023). "Attorney Chris Hollins wins Houston controller race". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Further reading

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