Sean Teare hands primary defeat to Harris County DA and former boss Kim Ogg, ABC13 projects
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Kim Ogg's time as the Harris County district attorney will end after eight years as ABC13 projected that she'll lose the Democratic primary to her former deputy, Sean Teare.
Teare, who was Ogg's lead prosecutor in the DA's Vehicular Crimes Division from 2017 to 2023, held a 78% to 22% lead taking some 97,000 votes cast during early balloting into account and no precincts reporting yet.
As of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, the time of the projection, just 2% of precincts were reporting.
Ogg's bid for a third term was left vulnerable in arguably the hottest-contested race in the March election because the two-term DA was facing off with a once-trusted deputy.
The video above is the ABC13 Houston's 24/7 Streaming Channel.
The race offered no shortage of political theater and rhetoric, given that this was Ogg's most significant threat of being ousted from her role. She cruised to a reelection win in 2020.
Heading into Super Tuesday, a University of Houston poll released showed Teare with a wide lead over Ogg.
SEE ALSO: DA Kim Ogg reprimanded by Harris County Democratic Party in late-night meeting
Teare said he was running mainly due to the low morale within the district attorney's office. He claimed to want to remove politics from the position.
"I want to be able to remove a lot of the politics from this office," Teare said. "The job of this office, while it is political to get there, it can't be political when you're in that seat because you take an oath to see that justice is done in every case."
Ogg was pushing a solutions and experience narrative for her reelection, expressing pride for what she and her team have accomplished while also recognizing there was more to be done.
"My opponent is running against me, and I think what the public needs to know [is] running for them," Ogg said.
SEE MORE: Harris Co. District Attorney Ogg on challenger Sean Teare: 'I have some concerns about his judgment'
There were layers beneath this race. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed Teare.
Ogg and Hidalgo's tension was well-documented, especially as the sitting district attorney prosecutes a bid-rigging case against the county judge's former aides. The two have also been at odds over funding for Ogg's office, citing a case backlog and the need to remedy an overworked staff.
Teare isn't officially the county's next DA just yet. The primary winner faces Republican opponent Dan Simons, who has been looking to become the first Harris County district attorney from the GOP since 2016.
SEE ALSO: Harris County DA Kim Ogg experiences voting issues after ballot already cast in her name
