Composite image of Dallas County district attorney candidates Eric Reed and Amber Givens. Reed is challenging Givens in the November 2026 general election as a write-in candidate. Givens is the Democratic nominee for the job.
Shafkat Anowar and Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
In Dallas County’s most high-profile race for local office, one candidate is trying to keep her momentum while the other is waging a long-shot effort to gain the name recognition he’ll need for an upset.
Vying for the job of county district attorney are former felony court judge Amber Givens and longtime Dallas attorney Eric Reed.
Givens presided over the 282nd District Court for 11 years before she stepped down in December to run for DA. She surprised many when she defeated two-term incumbent John Creuzot in the March 3 Democratic primary.
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With no Republicans in the race, Givens was cruising toward victory in the November general election until last month, when Reed entered as a write-in candidate.
“Nobody anticipated that John Creuzot was going to lose,” Reed told The Dallas Morning News editorial board Friday. “People were coming up to me and saying, ‘My God, what are we going to do? This is a disaster.’”
Givens did not respond to invitations from the editorial board. The board typically does not interview write-in candidates, but chose to in this race because of how unconventional it is. Givens didn’t respond Friday to messages seeking comment.
Related: Dallas County DA candidate Amber Givens no longer unopposed after write-in candidate files
Reed told the board he has been meeting with grass roots groups, individuals and businesses to get his message out. Among his biggest priorities is educating voters on how to fill in his name on the ballot.
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Reed said he is committed to alternative solutions for defendants with mental health and substance abuse issues that would send them to treatment rather than jail. He also wants to focus on attorney training and proposed bringing in top local lawyers to help guide young prosecutors.
Givens’ Facebook page shows that she’s also trying to educate voters, but her focus is on reminding them that the race did not end with her primary win, and that she still needs them to come out and vote. She also encouraged them to cast their ballots during early voting.
“Hey y’all, so we’re not finished. I need all of y’all to go back to the polls,” she said in a Sept. 17 video post. “Don’t wait until Nov. 3…I need you all to flood the polls from Oct. 19 to 30.”
Givens’ years on the bench were often marked by controversy, including routinely receiving poor ratings in the local bar association’s judicial polls, initially being denied a $25,000 pay supplement from the county over performance concerns, and allegations of judicial misconduct lodged in 2121 by leaders of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
In 2022, more than 100 recusal motions were filed against her by members of the lawyers’ group, who alleged she was biased against them.
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Reed said he believes Givens is unfit for office, and cited the many complaints lodged against her during her years on the bench, the recusal motions, and the several staff departures. He said she doesn’t have the demeanor, management or leadership skills needed for the role.
Givens has also scored several wins along the way. The county reversed its decision on the supplemental pay issue last year after she sued. The judicial misconduct sanctions levied against her last year by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct were dismissed in July after Givens appealed.
Following her primary win, several lawyers who had backed Creuzot joined forces with her. She announced a pair of high-profile endorsements this month from Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
In Texas, write-in candidates must be approved to run by the Texas secretary of state’s office. Reed received his approval in late July and announced his candidacy last month.
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The last day to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 5. Early voting begins Oct. 19 and the general election is Nov. 3.