With the general election less than two months away, campaigns are beginning to ramp up their ads to sell themselves to voters.
This week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign released an ad focusing on crime and public safety.
“Texans are fed up with violent crime and skyrocketing murder rates,” Patrick says in the ad before vowing to “pass legislation next session to add a 10-year, mandatory jail sentence to anyone convicted of using a gun while committing a crime.”
The Patrick campaign’s ad then turns its focus to district attorneys who “release violent criminals, and choose not to enforce Texas laws.”
“We need to remove them from office,” Patrick said. “We cannot let Democrats turn Texas into California.”
While the ad does not specify any DA by name, Dallas DA John Creuzot has been criticized for his policy of not prosecuting thefts of property valued at less than $750, not prosecuting certain marijuana offenses, and his comments about “ending mass incarceration.”
Creuzot has also taken criticism over Dallas’ bail system because some individuals released on bail in Dallas then committed further crimes while free.
In 2020, Jerry Ford was released on bond after reportedly threatening a woman with his fist and saying he would kill her while swinging a machete. After being released on a $2,500 bond, he allegedly killed the same woman with a hunting knife.
A year earlier, David Cadena attacked a woman with a fire extinguisher in a parking garage after being released on bond.
In June of this year, Peter Nicholas III was charged with assault on a pregnant woman after allegedly stabbing his pregnant fiancée in front of her 6-year-old son.
Nicholas was free despite being indicted on a murder charge for allegedly killing his wife in a downtown Dallas hotel in late 2019. He was released on bond days after his indictment.
Despite these crimes, Creuzot has stood by Dallas’ bail policy. When asked how bail reform is working, Creuzot told The Washington Post in August, “I think we’re doing a good job.”
Also releasing a new ad this week is Lt. Gov. Patrick’s Democratic opponent in November’s general election, Mike Collier.
Collier pushes his past as a Republican before committing to “stand up to both parties if they are soft on crime or securing the border.”
In a joint poll released by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (THPF) and TEGNA Texas stations this week, Patrick, the Republican incumbent, holds a solid lead over Collier.
Respondents who are likely voters prefer Patrick (48%) over Collier (42%). Patrick also enjoys an eight-point advantage over Collier among the most likely (almost certain) voters, holding a 50% to 42% lead among that group.
The Dallas Express reached out to Creuzot’s office and the campaigns of Collier and Patrick for comment, but none responded.
Election day is November 8, with early voting starting on October 24.
