Republican Governor Appoints 'Hard Democrat' as DA: 'A Slap in the Face'
After a progressive Democrat resigned from his role in Texas, then it fell to the Republican governor to appoint his replacement last week.
Which Gov. Greg Abbott did — with a defense lawyer with a “hard Democrat” voting record, according to “pro-liberty” outlet Texas Scorecard.
At least one local Republican leader called the appointment, announced Friday, “a slap in the face” of members of Abbott’s own party.
“Governor Greg Abbott has appointed James ‘Jimmy’ Granberry as the District Attorney of the 105th Judicial District in Nueces County for a term set to expire on December 31, 2024 or until his successor shall be duly elected and qualified,” the governor’s office announced under the headline “Governor Abbott Appoints Granberry As 105th Judicial District Attorney.”
“James ‘Jimmy’ Granberry of Corpus Christi is an attorney in private practice and previously served as an assistant district attorney and felony prosecutor for the 105th Judicial District Attorney’s Office from 1990-1994,” the governor’s statement read. “He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and a former member of its district grievance committee, member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and founding president of Coastal Bend Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Additionally, he is a former member of the Texas District & County Attorneys Association and the Corpus Christi Bar Association and former director of the Texas DWI Lawyers Association. Granberry received a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University and a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law.”
Texas Scorecard included an image that appeared to be some sort of “voting history” scorecard, but without citing its origins or the methodology used to determine Granberry’s “calculated party.”
Granberry was listed as a “Hard Democrat” on that scorecard, but without any context to indicate what the other rating options were.
The vacancy was created when Democrat Mark Gonzalez resigned on September 5, a few months before he was scheduled to go to trial for “incompetency, official misconduct and failure to give bond,” according to KRIS-TV.
His first assistant district attorney, Angelica Hernandez, resigned two weeks later amid accusations of incompetence and gross negligence in regard to her conduct of a murder trial, according to Texas Scorecard.
Nueces County Republican Party Chair Carmen Calderone Jr. told the outlet that Gonzalez left the DA’s office in “shambles,” and local Republicans expressed doubt that Granberry would be any better.
Gonzalez has filed to run in the Democratic primary in a long-shot bid to face incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024 for his seat in the U.S. Senate.
Gonzalez’s campaign treasurer was John Gilmore, who was also Granberry’s law partner, Texas Scorecard reported.
Abbott overlooked a Republican candidate that Texas Scorecard called “well-qualified,” without explaining that categorization, in choosing Granberry to replace Gonzalez.
“Last month, Nueces County Republican Party precinct chairs interviewed four of the candidates under consideration,” the outlet reported. “Sales was the overwhelming favorite, receiving votes from 30 of the 35 precinct chairs present.”
Sales said that “The job is to prosecute the law on the books,” but that Gonzalez had run the DA’s office based on “his opinion, not the law,” according to Texas Scorecard.
“Everyone here takes it as a slap in the face to the Republican Party,” Suzanne Guggenheim, head of the Coastal Bend Republican Coalition, told the outlet.
“Republicans need to stop appointing Democrats to positions of power,” added Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi, who called Granberry’s appointment “terrible.”
Granberry has reportedly already announced that he will run for election in 2024 as the incumbent to remain Nueces County DA. His position in the role give him an advantage in that election, Texas Scorecard pointed out.
Abbott’s office did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment.
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