CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
The three candidates running for the Republican nomination for District Attorney are James Sales, current DA Jimmy Granberry, and Kristi Britt.
All three spoke with 3NEWS about why they believe they deserve the DA seat.
Each candidate has experience in the Nueces County DA’s office but only one can be chosen to run against Democratic nominee Terry Shamsie in November.
James Sales is currently a prosecutor in San Patricio County, though when he first started his career in law, he was spent 16 years at Nueces County district attorney's office. Now running for the district attorney seat, he says he's ready to restore other's confidence to the office.
"Law enforcement is very leery on having yet another defense attorney run the District Attorney's office. I've been a prosecutor for 32 years. There is an innate trust between law enforcement and myself," Sales said. "I have a passion for the victims of crime, and I will bring that trust back to the District Attorney's office for both the victims and law enforcement."
Jimmy Granberry was appointed by Governor Abbott to fill that seat about a month after Mark Gonzalez announced his resignation from the DA seat in September of 2023,
After a four-year stint at the DA's office in the nineties as a felony prosecutor, Granberry worked in criminal defense at his own law office for over 30 years. Now, he's running in the primary to keep the DA seat.
"I've learned how to try cases ethically. I've learned how to practice cases in an ethical way. I supported myself paddling my own canoe by paying the bills and paying the help, so I know how to do it, and I know how to do it right," Granberry said.
Kristi Britt has been working at the DA’s office since 2019. Aside from her experience working as a prosecutor within the Child Protection Unit and later becoming felony chief at the office, she believes that she has other qualities that the DA’s office needs.
She says the skills she picked up while working in the oil and gas industry as both a supervisor and later as that oil and gas company's corporate attorney is something she thinks she can bring to the office.
“You have to have an administrator in this office. There are so many things that must be addressed from a management perspective. Budgets, personnel, I mean funding is a problem here in Nueces County. This is not a secret everybody has talked about this," Britt said. "You really need someone who can think creatively, who's been out in the world and seen how problems are solved outside the walls of this one, particular office."
Kristi Britt has been working at the DA’s office since 2019. Aside from her experience working as a prosecutor within the Child Protection Unit and later becoming felony chief at the office, she believes that she has other qualities that the DA’s office needs.
She says the skills she picked up while working in the oil and gas industry as both a supervisor and later as that oil and gas company's corporate attorney is something she thinks she can bring to the office.
“You have to have an administrator in this office. There are so many things that must be addressed from a management perspective. Budgets, personnel, I mean funding is a problem here in Nueces County. This is not a secret everybody has talked about this," Britt said. "You really need someone who can think creatively, who's been out in the world and seen how problems are solved outside the walls of this one, particular office."