Lina Hidalgo Name-Checked on TIME’s ‘Next’ List

Lina Hidalgo Name-Checked on TIME’s ‘Next’ List

(photo @linahidalgotx on Instagram)

LIKE MANY OTHER Texans, Lina Hidalgo's home was without power for three days last week; she slept on an air mattress at Harris County's emergency operations center. The county judge tweeted about the dangerous conditions and infuriating energy crisis, and administered updates via press conferences in an effort to keep her constituents informed and safe.


Also last week, TIME magazine published its TIME100 Next list, a spinoff of its TIME100 franchise that highlights emerging leaders in various fields who are shaping America's future. The list includes nine political leaders who are "breaking into the top echelons of U.S. politics." Hidalgo, who is running the third-largest county in America at the age of 30, is among them.

In a brief essay penned by Beto O'Rourke — who met her on the campaign trail in 2017, when he was running for the U.S. Senate and she was running for county judge — Hidalgo is praised for her "persistence, tenacity and intelligence."

"She is doing an incredible job as evidenced by her efforts to quickly respond to COVID-19," he says, "…as well as to expand her constituents' access to the ballot box. Early-voting sites offered by the county nearly tripled last year."

And while O'Rourke acknowledges the above as a "tough set of circumstances" to encounter during a first term in office, this was written and published before the devastating effects of Uri, about which Hidalgo has been vocal.

O'Rourke concludes, "She has really distinguished herself and makes us proud — not just as Democrats but as Texans. That's what leadership looks like."

This year's TIME100 Next list includes other political leaders such as Republican Senator Ben Sasse and New Georgia Project CEO Nsé Ufot, as well as rising-star entertainer Charli D'Amelio of TikTok fame and young environmental advocate Vanessa Nakate.

People + Places
Cool for ‘Schools’! CIS Wants to Transport You to a Whimsical ‘Wonderland’ at Milestone Gala

CIS 2024 Gala Honorary Co-Chair Judy Tate, Co-Chair Lauren Brollier, Co-Chair Cassie Milam, Honorary Co-Chair Kirby McCool

WHETHER YOU PREFER Alice, the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts, Communities In Schools of Houston’s A Night in Wonderland 45th Anniversary GalaA Night in Wonderland 45th Anniversary Galais not to be missed! Join in the celebration for a whimsical good time on Thursday, April 4th, at the luxurious Post Oak Hotel.

Keep ReadingShow less

A model wearing Savannah Friedkin's Broken Collection (photo by Jeremy Choh)

SAVANNAH FRIEDKIN, A NEW fine jewelry brand with pieces crafted from 100-percent certified recycled precious metals and climate-neutral lab-grown diamonds, launched this week on SavannahFriedkin.com. The innovative collection is the conception of its namesake, Savannah Friedkin, a Houston-born and -raised, third-generation conservationist who values preserving our environment and empowering its people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Style

Helen Winchell, Marti Grizzle, Brittany Franklin, Jensen Wessendorff

HUNDREDS OF TREE-LOVING Houstonians savored and celebrated the good life at the La Dolce Vita-themed, 30th-annual Root Ball benefiting Trees for Houston.
Keep ReadingShow less
Parties