HOUSTON – Arguably the biggest surprise on Tuesday night in Harris County was the race for the county’s next district attorney.
The race involved heavily favored Democrat Sean Teare and Republican Dan Simons, and it was not settled until Wednesday morning, more than 12 hours after the polls closed.
When asked what takeaway he had from the close victory, Teare quickly responded:
“I think our community is tired of the partisanship fights. I think they are ready to unify behind a leader.”
He made it clear that his mindset remains the same when taking control of the office:
“My mindset has always been not an outrageous or outlandish mindset from the very beginning. We are going to operate an office that gets off the business of scandalous politics, and we are going to go after bad guys and still not create the next generation.”
Teare told KPRC 2 Investigates that his first priority is fixing the county’s current intake system.
His second priority is to create Harris County’s first-ever Domestic Violence Bureau, which would essentially be a division with an entire team of prosecutors dedicated to only working intimate violence cases.
He also added that he plans to recruit seasoned prosecutors from other parts of Texas and the nation.
“We are going to bring in a leadership group that goes down below even the division chief level that has the experience and is of the same mindset of learning and nurturing lower-level prosecutors, so it’s going to be significant, at first.”
Teare and Simons both agreed that the “red wave” of voters who voted for Democratic judges being removed from the bench was a significant factor in making the DA’s race much closer than anticipated.
What Teare did not expect, however, was a classy concession call by his opponent, offering him not only his support, but also calling on his supporters to unify behind the new DA as well as the office.
“In doing that, it showed leadership that is above and beyond,” Teare said. “I’m so honored to have run against him the way that he did this. It was the best part of my morning, and I woke up with some precincts still not reporting. So, I think it sets the tone for the next four years, having this community come together and understand that we are going to do it.”
Simons shared that he believes Teare was surprised by his message.
“I do wish him the absolute best in the office,” Simons said.
For the first-time candidate, the issue of public safety impacts all and shouldn’t be political.
“We have to put politics aside. It’s no longer a Republican or Democrat issue, it’s Harris County’s problem,” Simons added.
