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Controversial comments heat up district attorney race

District Attorney Devon Anderson is under fire Friday after making comments about her opponent.

District Attorney Devon Anderson is under fire Friday after making comments about her opponent.

Democratic challenger Kim Ogg is accusing Anderson of attacking her for being a lesbian.

But are Anderson's comments a low blow or overblown?

"They have a problem with me on one, maybe two cases, when they get a liberal, pro-choice Lesbian District Attorney, I wonder how many cases they'll have problems with with her?" said Anderson on a podcast this Tuesday called the American Chronicles.

The podcast is 30 minutes long, though it's that 15-second snippet with the current district attorney that has Ogg outraged.

"When we have an elected official that's openly talking in such a hateful and bigoted tone, it's an image for Houston that we don't want," Ogg said. "We can do better."

Anderson wasn't available for comment Friday night, but her campaign staff said Anderson was being asked a question about how conservative, pro-life Republicans might feel about Ogg and the way she'd administer justice. They stress this has nothing to do with Ogg's sexual orientation.

"Her sexual orientation is not new or newsworthy," said Allen Blakemore, who works for Anderson's campaign. "She is married to a woman. She has said so publicly many, many times. This is calling you calling me a white male and me feigning outrage."

Blakemore said it's crucial for voters to listen to the entire 30 minutes to put things into perspective.

"Everybody wants to play gotcha, and certainly the candidates do it to each other and the media covers it," Blakemore said.

Ogg though said she feels this is a below-the-belt hit by someone who is behind in the polls. Ogg said she feels Anderson is suggesting Ogg wouldn't do the job as well because she's gay.

"That activists would be less happy with me because of that," Ogg added.

The latest University of Houston poll shows Ogg with a 7-point lead over the Republican incumbent, which is up from a virtual tie four weeks ago.

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