An upset was brewing in Dallas County — and by the time the final votes were counted, a six-year incumbent had lost his job.
Amber Givens, a former judge, defeated sitting Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot in the Democratic primary, pulling 54% of the vote to Creuzot’s 46% after late returns came in. The margin wasn’t razor-thin. It was a statement. For a prosecutor who had survived tough races before and built a reputation on criminal justice reform, the loss landed hard — and fast.
The Fall of a Reform-Era DA
Creuzot took office in 2019 and quickly positioned himself as one of Texas’s more progressive top prosecutors, pushing back on mass incarceration and low-level drug enforcement. It wasn’t just rhetoric — he implemented it. “I laid out a plan for the district attorney’s office and we implemented it and we went beyond that,” Creuzot said in a previous interview, crediting community respect for his approach to criminal justice reform. That track record helped him win his last race decisively — pulling nearly 61% of the vote against Republican Faith Johnson, who took just over 39%, according to CBS News Texas.
But this time, the math didn’t work in his favor. Givens mounted a challenge that ultimately proved too strong to hold off, even as questions swirled around her own record on the bench.
A Challenger With Baggage of Her Own
Here’s the twist. Givens wasn’t running from a spotless resume. She was sanctioned — twice — in June, stemming from incidents that included allowing a coordinator to impersonate her online, along with other judicial conduct issues. That’s not a minor footnote. For a candidate seeking to lead the county’s top law enforcement office, it was the kind of detail that could’ve sunk a campaign.
It didn’t. Voters, it seems, were ready for a change regardless.
When Givens first filed to run, Creuzot responded with characteristic composure. “This is the United States of America,” he noted. “Anyone is free to run for office, the issues will be debated, and ultimately the voters will decide the outcome.” He was right about that last part, even if the outcome wasn’t what he expected.
Givens Claims Victory — And Creuzot Bows Out Gracefully
Still, credit where it’s due. Creuzot’s concession was measured and, frankly, dignified. “I want to first express my deepest gratitude to my family, supporters, and every voter who placed their trust in me throughout this campaign,” he said in a statement following the results. “While the outcome was not what we hoped for, I am proud of the work my team accomplished and the important conversations we advanced about justice, accountability, and public safety in Dallas County.”
There’s something worth sitting with there. A man who spent years reshaping how Dallas prosecutes crime — or chose not to prosecute it — closed the chapter not with bitterness, but with a nod to the process. That’s not nothing.
What Comes Next
Givens will now advance as the Democratic nominee, putting her in a strong position in a county that has trended reliably blue in recent election cycles. But winning a primary against a sitting DA and actually running the office are two very different challenges. She’ll carry her sanctions into the general, and scrutiny of her record won’t ease up once the spotlight intensifies.
Dallas County just voted for change. Whether what comes next actually looks like progress — that part is still being written.
