Interim District Attorney James “Jimmy” Granberry is leading Democratic challenger Terry Shamsie in the race for Nueces County district attorney , early voting returns show.
Granberry drew 56.39% of support in early voting, while Shamsie had secured about 43.61% of the vote.
The early voting returns were released shortly after Election Day polls closed at 7 p.m. Complete returns are expected later Tuesday night.
The two candidates brought decades of experience working in criminal defense law, plus years of serving as attorneys in the Nueces County courts.
Granberry brings more than 35 years of experience working in criminal law as both a prosecutor and defense lawyer. He was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the 105th Judicial District last year to serve the remainder of former district attorney Mark Gonzalez’s term. Gonzalez resigned to run in the Democratic primary for the nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.