Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president Friday, two days after the Massachusetts senator gave a dominating debate performance in Las Vegas.

Hidalgo praised Warren’s “strong moral compass” and a commitment to principles that do not change with shifting political winds.

“I’ve learned over my time in the political world that there is little more important than intellectual honesty — an ability to look straight at a problem and choose a solution because it is the best one, not because it sounds good, is politically expedient or will guarantee a permanent future in politics,” Hidalgo said. “We need leaders with that kind of honesty if we are to truly tackle the most complex problems facing us.”

Warren was effusive in complimenting Hidalgo, whom she called a rising star in Texas politics.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have the support of Judge Hidalgo, who has been a forceful and persistent champion for Harris County by working to ensure that the government is transparent, accessible and accountable to every single resident,” Warren said in a statement. “We’re in this fight together to create big, structural change — and that means building a movement that makes our government work for everyone.”

Warren was one of several presidential candidates who courted Hidalgo, a first-term county judge whose surprise 2018 win over a popular Republican incumbent vaulted the then-27-year-old into national prominence.

Hidalgo said scheduling conflicts prevented her from visiting with Warren in Houston, though she has followed the senator’s career. Warren wrote Hidalgo an encouraging letter in February 2018, thanking her for seeking public office. Hidalgo at that time had yet to even win the Harris County Democratic primary for county judge. She scored her upset victory nine months later.

Hidalgo said she and Warren had a long phone call after a typically marathon Commissioners Court meeting this year, in which Hidalgo said they had a frank conversation.

“As I have with each presidential candidate, I asked the hardest question I could think of of Elizabeth,” she recalled. “She didn’t mince words or change the subject.”

Hidalgo said she asked about the “surely outrageous” arguments President Donald Trump would use against Warren if she were the Democrats’ nominee.

The county judge’s announcement comes a week after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Hidalgo will campaign for Warren in Texas, where the senator needs a strong showing after performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Early voting in Texas began Tuesday and concludes next Friday, with the primary election held March 3. With 149 delegates up for grabs, Texas is the second-most important prize for candidates on Super Tuesday, when 13 states hold their primaries.

Warren, an Oklahoma native, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and lived in Texas for more than a decade.

zach.despart@chron.com