Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood conceded defeat less than 90 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday night, blaming outside money from Democratic businessman and political activist George Soros to his opponent, Joe Gonzales.
“In my opinion the voters were unfairly influenced by $1 million worth of lies. There’s no other way to say it,” LaHood told supporters at his post-election gathering at the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association Banquet Hall.
“This, unfortunately, is not the worst thing I’ve been through in my life,” he said. “I’m at peace.”
Gonzales claimed victory soon after LaHood conceded, and the mood at his post-election party at Tomatillo’s on Broadway was light and festive as he made his rounds to the various tables of supporters and reporters.
Gonzales will face Republican candidate Tylden Shaeffer, a local defense attorney, in the November general election. Shaeffer has worked as a Bexar County prosecutor and ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Until LaHood won in 2014, Republicans held the seat for 24 years.
Gonzales said the financial support from Soros “is what allowed us to get our message out, but I think this speaks to this being a mandate from the voters.
“What the voters are saying is that you don’t run a DA’s office through intimidation, that they aren’t going to tolerate a DA that’s going to bully people and throw temper tantrums,” Gonzales continued. “They’re looking for someone who is going to be fair.”
Gonzales added that he ran on a platform of criminal justice reform, “and that’s what I intend to do … reforming the bail bond system is important to me – I want to look at increasing the diversionary programs, especially for our youth.
“Obviously we still have an obstacle to overcome, we still have the general election.”
Early voting totals showed Gonzales receiving about 61 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary race compared to LaHood’s 39 percent – a lead that LaHood’s campaign manager, Colin Strother, said made catching up on election day “mathematically a moot point.”
Gonzales received 30,193 votes during the 11-day early-vote period compared to LaHood’s 19,190. Early voting in Bexar County saw higher turnout for the Democratic ballot than in recent years.
With all of the county’s 726 precinct votes counted after midnight, LaHood trailed Gonzales’ 59 percent by 18-points.
The district attorney race in the general election may not be as political as it was in the primary election, said Henry Flores, a political science professor at St. Mary’s University.
Undetermined, independent voters don’t typically show up to primary elections, Flores said. “The one who can capture the largest share of the middle [is] going to carry the day. … Come the general election you’ve got a whole different electorate.”
Candidates led aggressive campaigns against their opponent, making calls and visits to voters right up until the polls closed Tuesday evening.
Some voters woke up at 5 a.m. Tuesday to anti-Gonzales “robocalls,” according to media reports. Both campaigns denied any involvement with the illegal calls that did not include a disclaimer identifying who paid for the telephone ads.
LaHood’s latest round of attacks against Gonzales – which peaked over the weekend with a series of ads placed in the San Antonio Express-News – was that he, as a defense lawyer, made his living “defending convicted sex criminals.” LaHood, once a defense attorney himself, has also solicited business from individuals accused of such crimes, according to media reports.
Several mail-outs from the Gonzales campaign compared LaHood to President Donald Trump. Though he called himself a “conservative guy” in an interview with the Express-News, LaHood said he does not agree with the president on all issues.
Negative attack ads aren’t likely to work on voters, Flores said. “But what’s interesting about these two is that they are both criminal defense attorneys so by nature they are really zealous advocates.”
The kind of burst the LaHood campaign made against Gonzales over the weekend, Flores said, can be seen as “a last grasp for them to try to take down the other guy.”
LaHood, 45, ousted Republican incumbent Susan Reed, who held the seat for 16 years, in November 2014 after an embittered campaign. He unsuccessfully challenged her in 2010.
In 1994, LaHood was arrested for selling ecstasy pills to an undercover policeman. In 1996, LaHood’s older brother, Michael, was shot and killed outside their parents’ home. He was able to overcome the conviction and seemed to convince most voters that his troubled past and self-described “anger-holic” issues were behind him.
LaHood’s 2014 campaign received a $1.2 million boost from personal injury attorney Thomas J. Henry. Beyond standing beside LaHood as he announced his re-election bid, Henry has not supported the incumbent monetarily this year.
LaHood worked as a prosecutor in Bexar, LaSalle, Wilson, Karnes, and Medina counties, according to his website, and built a private law practice with his father.
Both LaHood and Gonzales are native San Antonians and graduates of St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Gonzales, 58, received $958,000 from the Texas Justice & Public Safety political action committee backed by liberal philanthropist, billionaire, and hedge fund mogul George Soros.
Gonzales and three other attorneys accused LaHood of threatening to destroy their law practices during a homicide case LaHood was prosecuting last spring. The judge presiding over the case testified that LaHood did make such statements, but LaHood denied it in his testimony. This threat, and other disagreements on how the district attorney’s office should be run, led Gonzales to launch his campaign, he told the Rivard Report Tuesday night.
“That was the last straw,” he said of the incident. “You can tolerate a lot of things, but to me a lack of integrity is everything. I remember my mother saying, ‘You do the right thing even when no one is looking.’ And when he testified that the didn’t make the threat even though a district judge heard him, that was it for me. I cannot let that go.”
Gonzales said he has always wanted to be a district attorney, but the timing this year wasn’t ideal as his daughter, Marisa, is headed off to college soon.
“They allowed me to disrupt their lives,” he said of Marisa and his wife, Yvonne, as they stood next to him during his victory speech. “They allowed me to follow my dreams.”
Facing Shaeffer in the general election will require a different strategy, Gonzales told the Rivard Report.
“We’re going to be looking at what we need to do to get the message out to the independent voters and even those that are not traditionally Democrat,” he said.
There’s a lot of uncharted ground between now and November, Flores said. “Who knows, for instance, what’s going to transpire between [other candidates in other races] … who knows what’s going to happen with Trump – there’s a lot of conservatives that have tied themselves to his coattails.”
Gonzales and public health officials have cited LaHood’s controversial support of the anti-vaccination movement as cause for concern.
Previously, Gonzales has worked as assistant district attorney in Bexar County and assistant criminal district attorney in Harris County in the 1990s. He came back to San Antonio and served as a magistrate and municipal judge for the City of San Antonio for seven years, according to his website. He opened his private firm 22 years ago.
LaHood will finish out the rest of his term with honor, he said, refusing to be a “lame duck” district attorney.
“I’m going to keep loving my kids, I’m going to keep serving people,” he said. “I’m going to make a difference in lives, we’ve made a difference in a lot of lives – things that you don’t see and doesn’t get before the cameras every day. I’m just going to keep on serving for another nine months.”
As for his political career, LaHood said he doesn’t know what comes next. “I’ll follow a calling, as I’m called to it at the right time.”
This story was originally published on March 6, 2018.
Why did you concede? Isn’t this the primary? I’m Republican and I asked to if I could vote for Nico LaHood today. They said no, not until November when you can vote for people in either party. They said people had been asking the same thing all day. That’s why I didn’t early vote. I can’t believe you are going to concede to that sorry guy. First of all you sound like a republican. Come on over to God’s side!
Please take him. You can have Manuel Medina too.
Mary Ellen,
He did not concede….he lost in the democratic primary against another democrat. In the primaries, each party has an election(democratic and republican). The winner goes against the other parties nominee in the fall general election. In Texas, one has the choice to vote in either party’s primary. Unfortunately, lots of people don’t understand the political system. The only way you could have voted for LaHood, would have been in the democratic primary….apparently, you voted in the republican primary. Hope this helps you and others to understand the process.
Thank you for that information, sir. You’re absolutely correct.
It is very scary that you people are voting and have absolutely no understanding of the system and how it works. I knew these things as a child, as did my son.
Republican??? We are children of GOD!!!
If you wanted Nico, as I did you should have voted for him. Party affiliations are useless. YOU have to vote for what you want in this world. Choose your poison sister. I read both Democratic and Republican ballots, I chose to vote with which party I had more dogs in the fight. I totally despise having to choose a party!!!
Is this a parody post!? If not, then you are the type of voter LaHood is looking for in his next campaign. (Probably for senator, why go small when you can go large!).
LaHood conceded because HE LOST BY A LARGE amount. And he does sound like a Republican. That is one of the reasons he lost.
I was happy Nico won in 2014. He did some really good things in office such as innocence projects and the beginnings of the decriminalization of drugs. But his bizarre behavior at times ultimately disqualified him from holding this important office. At this time more than ever, temperament and good judgment are critical characteristics. That said, he’s a good guy who just made some unfortunate decisions as D.A.
And exhibited bad temperament. It wasnt just bad decisions. Sometimes, its the person.
The primary results are quite sad. The outcome purchased by the outside influence of billionaire, Mr. George Soros, who in word and action has diligently shown his intent to undermine not only our American nation and freedoms for his extremely radical, globalist agenda. But he has nigh bankrupted nations with his currency manipulations, such as against Britain with currency trading of the Pound . Mr. Soros remains one of the greatest threats to the stability of our nation and freedoms.
Yet, sadly, Bexar Democratic voters were seduced to select a man bought and paid for by Mr. Soros and his destructive agenda. Nico LaHood on the other hand served Bexar County as a man of integrity who fought hard for the citizens but apparently riled some elitists.
The article cites LaHood’s “controversial” anti-vaccine position. You fail to mention that Mr.LaHood, like huge numbers of other people, have had children who were fine until they had vaccines but after receiving vaccinations were seriously damaged with things like autism, mental retardation and other serious illnesses. I know of many such people.
But sadly most media cover this up with false claims denying the clear and solid evidence. But what the media does not report is how billions of dollars of pharmaceutical company profits are at stake and apparently some people believe those profits take precedence over the welfare of children. Democratic voters, please take note.
And, Ms. Dimmick, while I give you an A grade for the technical aspects of your writing, I respectfully find your one-sided hit on Mr. LaHood and strong advocacy for promoting of Mr. Gonzales under the auspices of journalism quite disappointing, and not a positive encouragement to trust the Rivard report. While such one-sided pieces are all-too-common in most current media, I hope Mr. Rivard will in the future have a respect for balanced reporting.
Ms. Dimmick has always been an unbiased and fair journalist. This piece is no different. All the facts are laid out for you. If you choose to not agree with the facts and see it as a “one sided hit” then that does not make it so. The Rivard Report has editorials and commentary sections for those that want to give their biased thoughts and they highlight that as such. This is great coverage of an ever growing unfortunate political climate we have today. We need to take our frustations to the polls and hold our eleceted officials responsible. Please do not take them out on our local journalists when they are doing a great service for our community.
Your response is disappointing and seems intellectually dishonest, given the article is clearly biased in Gonzales’ favor. Highlighting an arrest for which there was no conviction, for example, is a guilty until proven innocent tactic often used by the left. Your so called journalism is anything but.
That is a ignorant response, as you can see from this article Nico LaHood owned up to his past (arrest vs conviction)
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Unlawful-past-may-hurt-district-attorney-bid-789407.php
From the article above, “The court records reveal some interesting facts about his arrest in June 1994 for selling $3,600 worth of a controlled substance to an undercover San Antonio officer from the Repeat Offenders Program.
LaHood said he was a third-year student at San Antonio College and working at a nightclub on St. Mary’s Street for about year when he was arrested.
“I was not thinking. I was living for the moment. I thought I was a cool kid,” he said.
He said he knew the people who could supply the drugs and he knew the customers who wanted to buy them and he became the middleman. LaHood said he never used the drugs himself and does not even drink alcohol.”
The journalism is just fine here and getting better year after year. Great work Rivard Report.
Your comment about tactic used by the left are true but only because it is true of all parties and all people, because that is how we get the phrase “guilty until proven innocent”. Of course as I states your comment is misplace because as I pointer out La Hood has owned up to his transgression.
In this race however, he did not own up to threatening another Lawyer in court, which is something that is just totally unethical and doesn’t seem like something the 6th largest city in America should tolerate from their DA.
“Mr.LaHood, like huge numbers of other people, have had children who were fine until they had vaccines”
LaHood confuses anecdotal evidence with empirical evidence… this is very, very troubling in a District Attorney who cannot tell the difference…
“Yet, sadly, Bexar Democratic voters were seduced to select a man bought and paid for by Mr. Soros and his destructive agenda.”
You do realize that LaHood did the *exact* same thing with Thomas J. Henry, yes?
AMEN!!
Well said, the democratic voters were seduced by Mr. Gonzales for District Attorney bought and paid for by the Evil George Soros who funded Obama and the Clintons and Many other Crooked politicians from both parties.
To the general public: I don’t care what you’re party affiliation is BUT PLEASE do your own homework on the background affiliation of the candidate you vote for ESPECIALLY Anyone with ties to Soros if you love your way of life and your children’s future. Do a simple search on George Soros and his history and read some of his own statements, they are very scary of his personal agenda to destroy our country and many others! He supported Adolph Hitler and all of his beliefs and has supported many subversive groups with cash to try and disrupt the economy’s and government’s of many nations in pursuit of his Evil agenda.
I Beg you to do this simple search about him before you vote for Anyone that accepts money from the Puppet master Soros no matter which party they represent because they become his puppet and have No soul left. And if you still choose to support them, may God have mercy on you and your children’s soul’s because you Will need it.
The ads certainly influenced my decision. I had to believe there was enough there for the ads to say what they said. The system seems to have worked in this case.
Ken,
Seriously you voted on the ads alone without doing your own background checks??
I want to sell you some ocean front property in Kansas please. Voted on the ads OMG this is sad sad sad.
“In my opinion the voters were unfairly influenced by $1 million worth of lies. There’s no other way to say it,” This seems to be the Republican way. Never accept personal responsibility, always blame someone else. If I was La Hood I’d be blaming Trump for making all Republicans look like narcissistic liars.
Can’t wait until we can get some adults back in government.
So you are saying the Soros money had nothing to do with it, correct?
Having heard both LaHood and Gonzales speak, I cannot fathom why anyone would vote for the latter.
I think you mean, “if I were LaHood.” What Trump has to do with a race between Democrats puzzles me. This seems to the Democrat way, invoke Trump for a silly slur whenever and wherever you can.
Robert,
You are right. The Democratic Party should be called the Socialist Democratic Party, it’s not the same party it was under JFK it has severely degraded unfortunately. Russian leader Joeseph Stalin predicted he would infiltrate and try to overtake our country from the inside and it appears the Democrat leaders are fulfilling his prediction.
They collectively along with some democrats disguised as republicans (John McCain) have a single minded agenda to take down Donald Trump at all cost instead of trying to help the people that voted for them. Many career politicians need to retire for the good of everyone such as John McCain and Nancy Pelosi. Good God did anyone see her speech the other day? Even with notes in her hand she lost track of what she was saying and stammering on and on making no sense. Clearly signs of Dementia or Alzheimer’s down right embarrassing and scary people like this are still in office!!
I think you missed your calling as a soothsayer, who knew that the 63 million voters that voted for Clinton were actually just commies in disguise, or sheep led to their slaughter and the 60 million who voted for Trump the enlightened patriotic few meant to save us all from a world meant to destroy us.
Man it must be frustrating being so mad that things you can’t control…
Oh and also you must be a MD or at least a TV MD with your diagnosis of Pelosi from afar… I don’t know maybe your name is Doogie
Amor,
I’m sorry you feel that way But one million in lies is accurate. Educate yourself independently and carefully about George Soros and his agenda before you respond, not just what the one eyed monster (TV) or newspapers say because he controls 90% of them.
And we do have an Adult in the White House best of all a Non Politician and Non chicken Real Leader who Won’t bow down and kiss the butts of other world leaders like the last wannabe president.
Why in the world do you want to blame Trump for LaHoods loss?? He had nothing to do with it Oh Oh wait a minute that’s right you are one of the brainwashed sheep incapable of independent thought because of your Blind allegiance in the singleminded Democratic belief to blame Trump for everything and make him look bad at all cost so sad. I will say a prayer for you.
Regardless of who wins in November, San Antonio deserves a Fair Criminal Justice System.
George Sorros, the scariest, buy anyone, person in the World, yes, World. He is the cause of democrats or anyone for that matter, to go vote. Why?- they are paid off. Just like all “black lives matter” protests, because he pays them to demonstrate and protest. He is the equate of the Devil himself. Woe unto Bexar County, if he should win the seat of District Attorney of Bexar County. Even scarier, is that George Sorros would reach out to a low position of a local DA in comparison to large National politics………… could this be related to the Castro twins?
Nam,
Of course Soros supports the very sneaky Castro twins. He is quitely grooming them for higher office in the future just wait and see.
By the way I Never voted for Nico LaHood and never will, Susan Reid was a better choice but he had a lot more money and out spent her. That’s the sad reason he was elected and I pray the same mistake doesn’t happen again with Gonzales only because George Soros has very deep pockets.
Backing money from Criminal Evil people does NOT mean you are the best qualified person for the job no matter Democract or Republican Period!!!!
This is not a first nor last for George Soros. The man is buying district attorney offices throughout this Nation.
Any candidate who takes money from Soros or a Soros flunky should be defeated. Any American who votes for a Soros-backed candidate is a traitor.