FORT BEND COUNTY. Texas – When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools across Texas in 2020, Audrey Lee was in seventh grade.
As many students worked to keep up with unfamiliar virtual learning systems, she accelerated.
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“I realized there was a lot more I could get done than what the school day was providing,” she told KPRC 2’s Michael Horton.
She cruised through her coursework, and after spending a year and a half at a private high school, she made another bold decision: graduating early as a homeschooler.
At 15-years-old, she enrolled full-time at Wharton County Junior College’s Sugar Land campus.
Now 19-years-old and a senior at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, Lee is the Republican nominee for Fort Bend County District Clerk.
Tuesday night, she won her primary by more than 2,500 votes.
If elected in November, she would become one of the youngest women to hold county office in Texas.
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Primary Election Night
Heading into Tuesday night, Lee described herself as cautious.
When early voting results showed her leading with 55%, she didn’t allow herself to celebrate.
“I didn’t sleep last night,” she said. “I kept hitting refresh on the results.”
When the outcome became clear, the feeling wasn’t triumph — it was disbelief.
“I was ready to be surprised,” she said. “I’ve been surprised this whole six months.”
READ MORE: Fort Bend County primary election results for March 3, 2026
Her Path to the Campaign
Standing outside the University Branch Library near Wharton County Junior College — where her college journey began — Lee reflected on her first day as a 15-year-old freshman in a college biology class.
“It was terrifying,” she said. “I was so scared.”
She didn’t have a driver’s license yet, so her parents took her to and from campus. Between classes, she spent hours in the library adjusting to a schedule that was nothing like high school.
“There were no hall passes. Teachers weren’t tracking where I was. That was very different,” she said.
Five years ago, politics wasn’t part of the plan.
“I’ll be honest — five years ago, if you told me I was going to run for office, I would have laughed at you,” she said.
Lee says her path shifted nearly six months ago when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Lee, who serves as chapter president of Young Americans for Liberty at Texas A&M, helped organize a campus vigil the next day.
“I didn’t sleep that night,” she said. “I don’t think any of us slept that night.”
Within 24 hours, political organizations from across the spectrum coordinated the event. Volunteers searched College Station for candles, buying out local stores. An estimated 3,000 people attended, with thousands more watching online.
That moment forced her to reassess her role.
“I started thinking that I needed to do more than just talk,” she said.
About a week later, she spoke at a Fort Bend County Republican club meeting about youth political engagement. Afterward, she kept hearing the same question:
“When are you running?”
At first, she brushed it off. Then, she reconsidered.
“I thought on it. I prayed on it,” she said. “And I felt like I was being called to run.”
Why District Clerk?
The district clerk’s office manages court records, facilitates jury duty, processes passports and works directly with district court judges — serving as one of the primary points of contact between residents and county government.
“It’s one of the main places people have interactions with their local government,” Lee said. “That makes it incredibly important in restoring people’s faith in our elected officials.”
She emphasizes that the role is administrative, not ideological.
“It’s not a political role,” she said. “It’s a question of management. It’s a question of business knowledge.”
Lee is set to graduate from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School, which ranks among the top public business programs in the country. She believes her professional training translates directly to running a county office.
“The constituents are the stakeholders,” she said. “They should understand what’s going on.”
She pointed to a lack of updated reporting on the district clerk’s website, which she notes hasn’t published an Annual Year End Report since 2024.
“That seems like a problem to me as a manager,” she said.
Addressing Her Age
Lee understands voters may focus on one number: 19.
Some will surely question whether somebody her age has enough life experience to oversee an office that affects victims, defendants and families navigating the court system.
“I’ve been in managerial roles since I was 16,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of work experience. I understand people.”
She believes younger candidates resonate with today’s electorate.
“There’s a shift happening right now,” she said. “If there’s a young candidate on the ballot, that’s who people want.”
Lee also sees a broader issue with civic engagement among her generation, crediting prominent Texas Democrat and U.S. Senate race nominee James Talarico as another young voice in Texas politics, despite the two’s ideological differences.
“I think a lot of people, especially in my generation, have lost faith in things,” she said. “There’s a lot of apathy in this country, especially when it comes to local elections and local issues, and I think that’s a big problem.”
Moving on to November
As she prepares for the general election, Lee says outreach to young voters will be a priority, especially on college campuses within Fort Bend County.
When asked to describe herself in one word, she paused.
“I’m unique,” she said. “I’m not like any 19-year-old you’ve met. I’m probably not like most district clerk candidates.”
In November, voters will decide whether that uniqueness is exactly what they want in one of Fort Bend County’s most operationally significant offices.