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Travis County DA José Garza wins re-election by wide margin, vows to continue reforms [1]

['Andrew Freeman', 'Http', 'Www.Facebook.Com Cbsaustin']

Date: 2024-12

Travis County District Attorney José Garza's campaign declared victory in his bid for a second term, defeating his challengerAustin criminal defense attorney Daniel Betts by more than 20 points.

Garza released the following statement:

Tonight, voters in Travis County decisively re-affirmed their belief that we need a criminal justice system that works for everyone, no matter their income, race, or walk of life. I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished over the past four years, from addressing the root causes of crime to treating survivors of sexual assault, and all survivors of crime, with dignity and respect. I am honored to serve as your District Attorney and look forward to continuing our work together. Thank you for your trust in me.

Garza first took office in January of 2021, running on a platform of criminal justice reform and holding police accountable following the George Floyd protests of 2020. While critics say his policies have emboldened criminals, including the Austin Police Association, he won the Democratic Primary in March with nearly 70 percent of the vote.

His Republican challenger Daniel Betts promised a tough-on-crime approach. Betts says he wanted to take politics out of the DA’s office, have more jury trials, and repair relationships with both law enforcement and victims of crime.

He says even though he lost, that dialogue has seen a groundswell of support.

“I think that Austin is already moving in the correct direction," Betts said. "I think we see that in the police contract and the vote on it. I don’t think people thought it was going to be close, a 5-6 vote, but it was 10-1. So that shows us that Austin city council recognizes the way the public is going so they can get out of the way of it.”

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Meanwhile Garza believes the election results speak for themselves and his last four years working on criminal justice reform.

Garza says he’s most proud of fighting for sexual assault survivors and touts a rise in securing sexual assault convictions. He also is proud of a program that kept minors from getting arrested when there’s conflict in the home, but at the Travis County Democratic watch party, said there’s more work to be done.

"We have so much more work to do to build a criminal justice system that lives up to the aspirations of this community," Garza said. "Our work addressing sexual assault in this community is not done. Our work preventing gun violence in this community is not done. These are going to be years long projects, and we're committed to them.”

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[1] Url: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/betts-vows-a-tough-on-crime-stance-in-travis-county-bid-against-garza-for-da

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