Justice reform groups once spent big electing progressive district attorneys across the nation — including a roughly $1 million campaign to help Democrat Joe Gonzales defeat incumbent Nico LaHood in the primary in 2018.
Eight years later, progressive DAs are under intense scrutiny from Texas GOP leaders trying to strip their power, and the groups that helped elect them have largely vanished from the scene.
The Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC that spent roughly $3.6 million helping Gonzales and Travis County District Attorney José Garza has been dissolved, according to campaign filings.
Meanwhile, the bail reform-focused Texas Organizing Project reemerged briefly in this year’s race to replace the retiring Gonzales, but their candidate Jim Bethke finished last in a field of eight Democratic primary contenders, and the group hasn’t been involved since.
Democrats are now down to two candidates in the race to replace Gonzales — both of whom support some nuanced justice reform measures, but have largely relied on personal funds to make their case to voters.
Bail reform groups gained unusual access to the office under Gonzales, and neither candidate believes that should continue.
Former Fourth Court of Appeals Justice Luz Elena Chapa has gone much further in criticizing Gonzales’ record as DA, earning a nod from the San Antonio Police Officers Association and finishing first in the March primary
“We do have a big issue with repeat offenders, especially habitual repeat offenders,” Chapa declared on a debate stage full of progressive Democrats ahead of that race. “We do have a crisis because we haven’t been tough on crime in our community, and we need to make serious changes to improve public safety.”
In a May 26 primary runoff, she faces career prosecutor Jane Davis, who Gonzales recruited to oversee the office’s Juvenile Division, and who has chosen her words carefully while defending his work keeping low-level offenders out of jail.
“Joe brought in a lot of good people as his chiefs, and I think he had some very good ideas as far as what he wanted to do progressively,” Davis told the Report. “He has implemented some of those ideas, some of them have worked very well and some of them need some refinement.”
Campaign finance reports were due Monday, offering the only look at money raised and spent between the primary and runoff elections.
They indicated Chapa has been leaning on a business community that wants change to supplement her personal funds — while Davis’ calls for continuity have left her largely out on her own.
Chapa raised about $290,000 between Feb. 22 and May 16, spent about $400,000 and reported $44,000 in the bank as of May 16.
Davis raised about $50,000 in that same span, spent $275,000 and reported $100,000 on hand.
Chapa has spent a total of about $520,000 on her campaign since entering the race, bolstered by about $225,000 in personal loans and about $120,000 from her ex-husband, Miguel Chapa.
Davis has only raised a total of about $60,000 from donors since entering the race, and her latest report notes $326,000 still outstanding in personal loans.
The winner of the Democratic primary will be the odds-on favorite to carry a blue county in November.
But they’ll immediately face a state legislative session where Gov. Greg Abbott wants authority to impeach and replace local district attorneys, and conservatives are increasingly eager to make examples of progressive DA’s who step out of line.
Outside of the Brook Hollow Library on Monday, Chip Roy, one of Republicans’ top candidates to become Texas’ next attorney general, drew cheers calling to remove Garza — the Travis County District Attorney who is now among the remaining progressive DAs from that original class, and was just reelected in 2024.
“We got to get rid of that guy … there’s just no other way around it,” said Roy. “And/or, we’ve got to have state power to end-run the DAs.”
Meet the Democrats running for Bexar County District Attorney
The San Antonio Report sat down with Democrats Luz Elena Chapa and Jane Davis to talk about their experience and vision for the district attorney role. The winner of the May 26 Democratic primary runoff will face Republican Ashley Foster in November.
