Jeremy Sylestine

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jeremy Sylestine

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Austin, 2000

Law

University of Virginia School of Law, 2004

Personal

Profession

Attorney at law

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Jeremy Sylestine (Democratic Party) ran for election for Travis County District Attorney in Texas. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Sylestine completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jeremy Sylestine earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004. His career experience includes working as a defense attorney, public defender, and adjunct professor.

As of 2024, Sylestine was affiliated with the following organizations:

• Alabama-Coushatta Tribe
• Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Texas Bar
• Austin Bar
• Hopefully Sow
• Canyon Creek Elementary PTA

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Travis County, Texas (2024)

General election

General election for Travis County District Attorney

Incumbent José Garza defeated Daniel Betts in the general election for Travis County District Attorney on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		José Garza (D)	67.6	355,947
		Daniel Betts (R)	32.4	170,694

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 526,641
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Travis County District Attorney

Incumbent José Garza defeated Jeremy Sylestine in the Democratic primary for Travis County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		José Garza	66.8	64,929
		Jeremy Sylestine	33.2	32,226

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 97,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Travis County District Attorney

Daniel Betts advanced from the Republican primary for Travis County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Betts	100.0	30,283

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,283
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Sylestine in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jeremy Sylestine completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sylestine's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jeremy is a member of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of East Texas and the first in his family to graduate from college: the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is in his 20th year practicing criminal law: first as a public defender in West Texas, then as an assistant district attorney for Travis County. He is now a defense attorney in private practice and a candidate running to restore trust in the Travis County District Attorney’s office and to seek justice while protecting our community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• As District Attorney I will institute common sense prosecution principles while maintaining progressive policies.
• I pledge to recommit the DA's office to a shared vision of ensuring justice is done balanced with the tradition of fairness.
• My office will ensure victims of crime have a strong advocate in their corner and strengthen the relationship between prosecutors and police officers to repair and improve our ability to protect the community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice Reform

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Personally, I look up to my parents. They were just workers; my mom is still working. They tried to be the best people they could be and that was instilled in me growing up and now, as an adult, attorney, and father. I understand the sacrifices my parents made for me and my siblings and that resonates with me as I try to emulate that with my girls.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

My favorite “To Kill a Mockingbird.” My father nicknamed me Jem Finch, and I read the book and loved it. Every few years I reread it and as a father I appreciate Addicus more than ever.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe the most important characteristics and principles for an elected official to have are integrity and honesty.

Any elected official, but a District Attorney in particular, must always be honest with their staff and the community. Without honesty there can be no real trust. And without trust there can be no faith. And for justice to work beyond a court sentence the community must have faith that justice is working for them.

Integrity is an equally important because a District must uphold the law and see that justice is done no matter the outcome or who it effects. Too often in life political and personal considerations bend our resolve to act. In many facets of life that is acceptable. Even beneficial. But in the service of justice, we must be absolute and unbreakable against forces that seek to pressure our resolve.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Having served in the Travis County District Attorney’s Office for 15 years, I know what Travis County juries expect. There’s no substituting that experience for a big policy idea. Receiving verdicts, when your arguments are viewed as good or bad, is a message from the community stating how they expect the job to be done.

Part of my experience has been years training staff, imparting my knowledge and advice to the next generation of Assistant District Attorneys. While I was there, I was known as the court chief who got assigned young attorneys to teach them good habits and how to carry themselves in the court room.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of a DA include managing the multifaceted duties of prosecuting crime in Travis County, which includes working with over 30 law enforcement agencies (Federal, State and local). It also includes being responsible to victims of crime, attending to the needs of the office, and equipping prosecutors with the tools they need to achieve just results. In general, the DA’s Office should set the tone for Travis County and what we expect from the criminal justice system.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I think of legacy in two ways. I want my family--my girls in particular--to see that there is still value in servant leadership. As my children age, and grow into young adults, and then adults, I want them to know that I am sacrificing for the sake of the community.
When I leave public office, I want to leave a legacy of a prosperous community that see that we don’t have to give up what has been so good about Travis County’s progressive principles and give up on public safety. I think we can do both, at the same time, and do justice the right way.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I remember was the challenger explosion in the mid 80s.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I waited tables when I was in high school, but my first professional job out of school was as a public defender.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Aragon from Lord of the Rings.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The entire Taylor Swift catalog.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

It is humbling to ask for help. I tend to take on problems and work to solve them myself.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are necessary for the District Attorney to lead their department. When we talk about the important decisions this office makes, the community must be informed and trust that there is nothing sideways happening, at any level.

I have no problem disclosing my sources of income. As a law enforcement agency, there are specific details we may not be able to release for reasons of individual privacy, or to avoid compromising an ongoing case, but at the same time, the office budget is public and we will seek to remain responsive and open.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sylestine submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on February 9, 2024.

Show past responsesHide past responses

January 29 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jeremy is a member of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of East Texas and the first in his family to graduate from college: the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is in his 20th year practicing criminal law: first as a public defender in West Texas, then as an assistant district attorney for Travis County. He is now a defense attorney in private practice and a candidate running to restore trust in the Travis County District Attorney’s office and to seek justice while protecting our community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Practicing common sense prosecution principles while maintaining progressive policies.
• Recommit the DA's office to a shared vision to ensure that justice is done, guided by compassion and balanced with tradition of fairness.
• Ensuring victims of crime need a strong advocate in their corner while strengthening the relationship between prosecutors and police officers to protect our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Justice,

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The characteristics and principles that are considered most important for an elected official can vary depending on the context and the expectations of the electorate. For a District Attorney the most important are:

Integrity and Ethics: Elected officials should demonstrate honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior in their personal and professional lives.

Accountability: Officials should be accountable not only for their actions and decisions but those of the office they lead.

Communication: Clear, direct and honest communication to the community is essential for building and maintaining trust. If an elected official can not deliver a message in the three ways highlighted before, than the public may grow to distrust or misunderstand the office.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Experience of having worked in the Travis County District Attorney's Office. In fifteen years of service to that office I prosecuted child abuse and domestic violence, and worked in the major crimes division. The position needs someone with experience inside the system and the office has suffered without someone with experience leading it.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Elected officials are expected to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Sylestine submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on January 29, 2024.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Travis County District Attorney

Website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube