HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A projected winner has emerged in the tight race for Harris County district attorney, one of the most closely watched races in the Houston area in the 2024 election.

With 100% of the expected votes reported shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday, Democrat Sean Teare held a narrow lead with 51% of the vote.

Just over 24,000 votes separated Teare from the Republican candidate, Dan Simons, who finished the election with 49% of the vote.

In the March 5 primary, Teare defeated the two-time incumbent prosecutor and his former boss, Kim Ogg, by a nearly 50% margin. He served as a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office for 11 years and was Ogg’s top prosecutor in the district attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Division from 2017 to 2023. After the primary, Ogg endorsed Republican Ted Cruz for Senate .

Meanwhile, Simons worked as a Harris County prosecutor and served as an assistant district attorney under former Harris County Prosecutor Mike Anderson in 2013.

With Teare ahead in the race, he spoke Tuesday night about his goals.

“I’ve been in that office for 13 years. I’ve handled every type of case they have to handle, from JP traffic tickets to capital murders and everything in between,” Teare said. “I have spent the last seven years supervising hundreds of different attorneys, most of whom are still there.”

ABC13 anticipates hearing from Teare about his victory sometime Wednesday. Please return to those posts for updates.

Teare will take over in January, replacing Ogg after eight years in the role.

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