HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County Districts Attorney Kim Ogg's defeat in the Democratic primary guarantees a new face will take over the DA's office next year. Voters will get to choose between Democrat Sean Teare and Republican Dan Simons.
Simons is speaking out for his first official interview since winning the GOP primary. He's not a household name, but he hopes to change that over the next eight months. He said he's the man who can bring safety back to Harris County.
"Investing their vote in me is an investment in their safety," said Simons.
Simons wants you to forget about party labels. The job he hopes to earn in the fall is much bigger than that.
"It's common sense prosecution, that's what's needed," said Simons. "Prosecution over politics."
Simons grew up in southeast Texas overcoming tough odds to get ahead.
"I didn't grow up with any privilege," said Simons. "I grew up on the other side below the poverty level. I grew up homeless and in foster care. I moved in with friends to graduate high school and was the first person in my family to graduate high school."
He joined the U.S. Air Force before studying law and later worked as a prosecutor at the Harris County DA's office under Devin Anderson and then Kim Ogg. Before leaving for private practice, Simons had a conviction rate of 84%.
"In my 3 1/2 years [at the DA's office] I'd put my resume up against everybody," said Simons. "Public safety is the number one goal of government and right now it's failing in Houston. You can't even go outside after dark."
Simons plans to spend the next eight months convincing voters he'll be tougher on crime than his opponent Sean Teare.
"The difference between me and Sean is simple, I want to have empathy towards victims, not just defendants," said Simons. "We can get the people that can get help and also go after the real criminals that make our streets more dangerous. We can do it and do it together."
Other top priorities include changing the culture inside the DA's office and empowering prosecutors to make decisions to reduce the backlog, but winning in a county that's trended blue in recent years won't be easy.
"I've been an underdog my entire life," said Simons. "I know what it's like to be in a fight."
After a divisive Democratic primary, Simons sees an opening telling KHOU 11 News he plans to work for every vote.
"To all the voters that voted for her [Ogg], give me a chance and I will earn your vote," said Simons. "Same thing with Teare's voters. Maybe they didn't have another option, but now they do."
Simons said he's hoping to share a stage with Teare for debates or community forums ahead of the election so he can answer as many voters' questions as possible.
KHOU 11 News' interview with Democratic DA nominee Sean Teare can be found here: