Harris County District Attorney election results: Sean Teare wins
The race for who will be the next District Attorney of Harris County has been determined by voters.
Unofficial final results show Sean Teare received 50.82% of the vote, while his opponent, Dan Simons, received 49.18% of the vote.
This comes as the current Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg lost in a primary election to Sean Teare. Teare was a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office for 11 years, including six years as the Division Supervisor of the Office's Vehicular Crimes Division.
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According to his campaign website, Teare said he will fight for reproductive rights, seek justice for survivors of domestic violence, lead on gun violence prevention, ensure second chances for those who deserve it, fix the "broken cash bail system," and eliminate the criminal court backlog.
Teare said the following on his campaign website why he was running for Harris County District Attorney:
"I believe that our criminal justice system can operate with both empathy AND efficiency. I believe that we don't have to choose between safety and justice – that we can reform the system to make it more fair while simultaneously protecting our citizens from violent criminals. It's what drove me to come back to the Harris County District Attorney's Office in 2016 to work with the new leadership to implement a fresh vision for criminal justice in our county. Sadly, the next six years proved to me that the new administration was more interested in political games and personal vendettas than in real change. Eventually, I came to the realization that improving the system would be impossible as long as the current leadership continued to place personal interests over public service.
Election results in the Houston area and across Texas
This is just one race voters are being asked to consider this election. Across the nation, Americans cast their ballots for the next president of the United States. In Texas, a closely watched race was between Incumbent Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred for U.S. Senate. Voters in Fort Bend County and Harris County voted for a sheriff. Voters also elected new U.S. representatives for their districts, including in Texas Congressional District 18, where voters would choose who would fill the position following the passing of longtime Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.