Republicans win 10 of 16 county-wide judicial races, causing unexpected shakeup in Harris County

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- It was an unexpected shakeup in Harris County this election cycle with Republicans winning 10 of the 16 county-wide judicial races.

Democrats still scored some top seats, including county attorney and district attorney. However, their losses across the board have some feeling like they dropped the ball.

Republicans are reaping the benefits of an evidently successful campaign ran by a conservative super PAC that hinged on public safety.

In Harris County, Republicans won a majority of countywide races they contested this year: five civil district courts, four criminal district courts, and one county criminal court, which oversees misdemeanor cases.

Emily Detoto is part of the new wave of red splashing into the county's judiciary.

"We had the perfect time. We had the machine. We had a good message, and it all worked out in the end," Detoto said.

Detoto unseated Democratic incumbent for the 177th criminal district court, Robert Johnson.

"I think people were just sick and tired of hearing the news where people are given dollar bonds only to reoffend while they were on bond," Detoto said.

SEE ALSO: Harris County GOP believes they're 'back' while county Democrats regroup after election losses

Most suspects are entitled to bonds under the Texas constitution.

Harris County Democratic leaders say multi-million-dollar ads against them were scare tactics. The Democrats say they didn't have the funding to share their own message.

"As anyone who understands what we do in public office, you don't just rest on your laurels. You need to show people that you are doing the job right, and our job as Democrats is to work hard," Harris County's Democratic Chair Mike Doyle said.

Legal analyst Brian Wice tends to agree.

"If you don't tell your story, someone is going to tell it for you, and I think that is what happened. I really think it is astounding on multiple levels," Wice said.

Doyle feels voters were bamboozled into voting Republican.

"At the end of the day, voters need to understand that these billionaires spreading lies are just lies," Doyle said.

Detoto intends to prove their message was genuine, and the work will speak for itself.

"The victim's family doesn't care if you are an R or a D. They just want you to be fair, and I agree. We are very polarized, but I think our country is on the upswing in terms of public safety and regaining the public's trust," Detoto said.

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