Kim Ogg

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Kim Ogg

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Harris County District Attorney

Successor: Sean Teare

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

High school

Memorial High School

Bachelor's

University of Texas, Austin, 1981

Graduate

South Texas College of Law, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

Houston, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Twitter

Kim Ogg (Democratic Party) was the Harris County District Attorney in Texas. She assumed office in 2017. She left office on December 31, 2024.

Ogg (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Harris County District Attorney in Texas. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Ogg was born in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Memorial High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, Austin in 1981 and a graduate degree from the South Texas College of Law in 1986. Her professional experience includes working as a chief felony prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and as head of Houston's Anti-Gang Task Force. From 1999 to 2006, Ogg was the executive director of Crime Stoppers. She has served as a member of the Houston Bar Association, as a member of the National Alliance of Victims' Rights Attorneys, as a member and past board director of the Texas District and County Attorney's Association, and as an advisory member of the Texas District and County Attorney's Foundation.

Ogg served as president of the South Texas College of Law Alumni Association from 2012 to 2013, as an alternate municipal judge for the City of Hedwig Village from 2007 to 2013, and as an appointee to Governor Rick Perry's 2002 Anti-Crime Commission.

Ogg has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Crime Stoppers
• Port of Houston “Clean & Green Program”
• Parents of Murdered Children
• Texas EquuSearch
• National District Attorneys Association
• South Texas College of Law Alumni Association
• National Alliance of Victims’ Rights Attorneys
• Democratic Lawyers' Association
• Meyerland Democrats
• ROAD Women
• Texas Democratic Women of Harris County Metro
• Democratic Lawyers' Association
• Kingwood Democrats
• West University Democrats
• University of Houston Democrats
• Humble Democrats
• HC Tejano Democrats
• Bellaire/Braeswood Democrats
• Area 5 Democrats
• Katy Democrats
• GLBT Caucus Democrats
• GLBT Caucus

Elections

2024

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

General election

General election for Harris County District Attorney

Sean Teare defeated Dan Simons in the general election for Harris County District Attorney on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Teare (D)	50.9	749,403
		Dan Simons (R)	49.1	721,563

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,470,966
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County District Attorney

Sean Teare defeated incumbent Kim Ogg in the Democratic primary for Harris County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Teare	75.0	126,449
		Kim Ogg	25.0	42,149

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 168,598
= 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 Harris County District Attorney

Dan Simons advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County District Attorney on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Simons	100.0	145,293

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 145,293
= 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

To view Ogg's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ogg in this election.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Harris County District Attorney

Incumbent Kim Ogg defeated Mary Nan Huffman in the general election for Harris County District Attorney on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Ogg (D)	53.9	841,914
		Mary Nan Huffman (R)	46.1	720,407

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,562,321
= 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 Harris County District Attorney

Incumbent Kim Ogg defeated Audia Jones, Todd Overstreet, and Carvana Cloud in the Democratic primary for Harris County District Attorney on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Ogg	54.5	148,571
	Submit photo	Audia Jones	24.2	65,950
	Submit photo	Todd Overstreet	11.3	30,744
		Carvana Cloud	10.0	27,132

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,397
= 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 Harris County District Attorney

Mary Nan Huffman defeated Lloyd Oliver and Lori DeAngelo in the Republican primary for Harris County District Attorney on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Nan Huffman	63.6	105,574
	Submit photo	Lloyd Oliver	21.6	35,828
	Submit photo	Lori DeAngelo	14.9	24,714

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 166,116
= 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

To view Ogg's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

2016

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2016)

Harris County held elections for county commission, justices of the peace, constables, district attorney, county attorney, sheriff, county tax assessor-collector, and the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees in 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and a primary runoff took place on May 24, 2016. The filing deadline for those wishing to run in this election was December 14, 2015. Kim Ogg (D) defeated incumbent Devon Anderson (R) in the Harris County district attorney general election.

Harris County District Attorney, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kim Ogg	54.22%	696,955
	Republican	Devon Anderson Incumbent	45.78%	588,464
Total Votes				1,285,419
Source: Harris County Elections, "2016 General Election Official Results," November 16, 2016

Harris County District Attorney, Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kim Ogg	50.89%	85,912
Morris Overstreet	28.51%	48,139
Lloyd Oliver	20.60%	34,773
Total Votes		168,824
Source: Harris County Elections, "2016 Democratic Primary Results," March 8, 2016

Endorsements

Ogg received the following endorsements in 2016:

• The Houston Chronicle
• Emily's List
• Annie's List
• Victory Fund
• Pasadena Police Officers Union
• Texas Public Policy Consortium
• Community Voices for Public Education
• Harris County AFL-CIO Council
• Houston Black American Democrats
• Latino Labor Leadership Council
• Baptist Ministers of Houston and Vicinity
• Bay Area New Democrats
• Area 5 Democrats
• Harris County Stonewall Young Democrats
• Harris County Young Democrats
• Progressive Texas Women
• Planned Parenthood
• Houston Area Progressives
• Houston GLBT Political Caucus
• Congressman Gene Green
• State Rep. Alma Allen
• State Rep. Garnet Coleman
• State Rep. Harold Dutton Jr.
• State Rep. Jessica Farrar
• State Sen. Sylvia Garcia
• State Rep. Carol Alvarado
• State Rep. Senfronia Thompson
• Former Governor Mark White
• Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker
• Former Houston Mayor Fred Hofheinz
• Former Houston City Attorney Arturo G. Michel
• Council Member Mike Laster
• Hon. Carol Mimms Galloway
• Hon. Craig Washington
• Hon. Jack Ogg
• Hon. Paul Colbert
• Hon. Debra Danburg
• Hon. Sissy Farethold
• Hon. Ada Edwards
• Hon. Sue Lovell
• Gerry Birnberg
• Diane Reeve

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 3, 2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

In my seven years as District Attorney, significant reforms have reshaped Harris County's justice system. Despite challenges like Harvey and the pandemic, our office supported 86 law enforcement agencies, ensuring uninterrupted operations. We've diversified leadership and staff, notably increasing African American and Latino representation. Our Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program has spared thousands from jail, redirecting offenders to education classes instead. Harris County uniquely refrains from citing individuals for minor marijuana possession. Our mental health initiative has diverted over 10,000 non-violent mentally ill offenders from jail to treatment centers, earning statewide recognition. Efforts to end the school-to-prison pipeline include diverting over 15,000 juveniles from jail to counseling, with 65% of offenders under 17 receiving treatment and education.

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?

• Continue advocating to stop the release of repeat violent offenders on bail; reduce the criminal case backlog through targeted prosecution of Houston's most violent criminals; and divert non-violent, low-level offenders to programs that keep them in the workforce.
• Continue seeking adequate funding for the DA’s office so we can aid our prosecutors in lowering their caseload. This would allow cases to move along faster both for the victims of these crimes and for those who are not guilty, to have their day in court as well.
• Seek funding for crime labs, which will allow for speedier resolution of the trials of violent offenders, removing them from access to additional crime victims. The fewer victims, the more people can and will stay in the workforce. I also intend to seek legislation to make Non-Disclosures (a type of expunction) easier to obtain.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Victim rights

-Women's rights
-Fiscal responsibility
-Transparency
-Serving the public
-Integrity in public service
-Public safety
-Accountability

-Establishing a justice system that is equitable and fair

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

Integrity and equal treatment of everyone regardless of origin, race, sex, background, or position.

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

The people of Harris County deserve the candidate who will best ensure that justice is truly done in every case. I supervise 800 employees through a system of supervisors. My strengths as a supervisor are my experience and willingness to share that experience in a way that professionally develops younger attorneys. My strengths as an administrator are that I believe in writing clear employee policies, ensuring our practices match our policies and plenty of re-occurring training on the policies and practices of the office.

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

DUTIES OF DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.

Each district attorney shall represent the State in all criminal cases in the district courts of his district and in appeals therefrom, except in cases where he has been, before his election, employed adversely.
When any criminal proceeding is had before an examining court in (his) district or before a judge upon habeas corpus, and (he) is notified of the same, and is at the time within his district, (he) shall represent the State therein, unless prevented by other official duties.
It shall be the primary duty of all prosecuting attorneys, including any special prosecutors, not to convict, but to see that justice is done.

Texas Government Code, Sec. 43.180.
HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
(a) The voters of Harris County elect a district attorney.
(b) The district attorney shall attend each term and session of the district courts of Harris County. The district attorney shall represent the state in criminal cases pending in the district and inferior courts of the county. The district attorney has control of any case heard on habeas corpus before any civil district court or criminal court of the county.

(c) The district attorney has all the powers, duties, and privileges in Harris County relating to criminal matters for and in behalf of the state that are conferred on district attorneys in the various counties and districts.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

LGBT Victory Fund, Houston Professional Fire Fighters Assoc., Latino Labor Leadership Council, Mexican-American Bar Assoc., Black Women of Greater Houston PAC, Harris County Afro-American Sheriff's Deputies League, Sen. Carol Alvarado, Harris County Dist. Clerk Marilyn Burgess, Former Houston Mayors Annise Parker & Lee P. Brown, Atty. Ben Crump, Civil Rights Leader Johnny Mata, HPOU Exec. Dir. Ray Hunt, HPOU Pres. Doug Griffith, Cst. Jerry Garcia and Sherman Eagleton, Former HPD Chiefs C.O. "Brad" Bradford & Charles McClelland, HPO Union 2nd VP Tim Whittaker, Former LGBTQ+ Caucus Presidents Jovan Tyler & Lane Lewis, Houston City Council Mbr. Sallie Alcorn, Former Houston City Council Mbr. Graciela Saenz

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

It is crucial to always remember that government officials are public servants, as in servants of the people, all the people and not just those who have voted for you. I take that honor and duty very seriously. As district attorney, that includes doing all that can be done to keep the criminal justice system fair and the streets of the community safe. It is also crucial to see that everyone is treated equally under the law regardless of their political affiliation or an other factors, such as race, gender, orientation, religion, nationality, etc.

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.

2020

Kim Ogg completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ogg's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Kim Ogg is the Harris County District Attorney. She is a native Houstonian and board-certified attorney of 33 years & recognized as the top law enforcement official in Houston, Texas.

DA Ogg is running for re-election to her second term. As DA, she has successfully advanced drug policy reform, ending the prosecution of misdemeanor marijuana possession & diverting more than 40,000 felony drug offenders through treatment programs that leave them without permanent criminal records.

DA Ogg believes evidence-based prosecution is the best way to guarantee a fair process for the victim, the accused, & the community in every case. She has trained prosecutors to prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders and believes that public trust in the justice system must be improved. To do so, she established a strong civil rights division to investigate police shootings and stop public corruption.

Prior to serving as Harris County DA, Kim Ogg served as a line prosecutor, a criminal defense and civil rights attorney, and worked in both public policy & non-profit arenas. Kim lives with her life partner of 35 years and their 21-year-old son, Jack, along with two dogs, two cats & two horses (not on site)!

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?

• Criminal justice reform, as I have implemented it during my first term as the Harris County District Attorney, has made Houstonians safer. We have prioritized the prosecution of violent criminals, while diverting more than 40,000 drug offenders into treatment instead of jail. This was accomplished by ending the prosecution of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and "crack pipe residue" cases.
• As a result of independent investigation by our civil rights prosecutors,and my policy of presenting every police shooting to a grand jury to determine whether they were justified or not, more police and jailers have been held accountable for crimes during my first term than in the entire history of the DA's Office. This has improved community trust and confidence in the justice system, our office, and the police themselves because equal treatment under the law is what our entire community wants.
• As a result of independent investigation by our civil rights prosecutors,and my policy of presenting every police shooting to a grand jury to determine whether they were justified or not, more police and jailers have been held accountable for crimes during my first term than in the entire history of the DA's Office. This has improved community trust and confidence in the justice system, our office, and the police themselves because equal treatment under the law is what our entire community wants.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Because public safety is my first priority as the DA, reforming the way non-violent mentally ill offenders are handled by our criminal justice system has been critical to showing humane treatment works more effectively than continued punishment through the justice system for what is in essence, a health problem. I believe that mental illness is a public health issue, and so I worked with elected officials in both political parties at a local and state level to help establish a mental health treatment diversion center that has now served more than 3,000 mentally ill offenders who are often homeless. Now, instead of spending four hours booking mentally ill offenders into jail, only to see them released and re-arrested over and over, police spend an average of 10 minutes dropping such individuals off at the Diversion Center. The program results show the recidivism rate of these mentally ill individuals is remarkably lower than in previous years when they were jailed repeatedly at great cost to taxpayers and without improvement to their situation. This change in policy has freed up prosecutors to better focus their efforts on disrupting criminal gangs, domestic abusers, armed robbers, human traffickers, and white-collar criminals through the pursuit of convictions and appropriate punishment.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Yes. I currently have the Bar Poll Preference Vote.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am proud to run on my record of the past three years as Harris County District Attorney, my leadership in the criminal justice reform movement, and my lifelong public service. I have been a licensed attorney in Texas since 1987 and recognized as a specialist in Criminal Law by the Board of Legal Specialization since 1992. I have tried far more cases and served in far more diverse positions during my career than any of my opponents. My experience as a line prosecutor from 1986-1994 gave me a cultural understanding of the justice system from the perspective of a crime victims advocate and public lawyer, while my work as Houston's first Anti-Gang czar provided a sound foundation for public policy experience. As Executive Director of Crime Stoppers, I learned to balance budgets, read a financial statement, and then put one together, and to work with a 40-member board. In 2006 I returned to private practice and joined with my father to run a small boutique law firm. In that job, I had to manage people and clients. The combination of my diverse career choices has prepared me for the job of Harris County District Attorney in that I rely upon every skill I have acquired during my career.
The DA's office is no place for theories and experimentation, not when lives are on the line. Each case involves a victim, a criminal defendant, and the expenditure of taxpayer resources. How the DA manages public safety, the public's expectations, the ethics, and operational challenges inherent to prosecution are all considerations that are best undertaken by a person with vast experience in law, business, public service, and life.

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.

2016

Ogg's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Bail reform Excerpt: "Ogg has said she would reverse the current administration’s policy of opposing all pre-trial bonds in every case, and where no evidence of flight risk exists, will instruct prosecutors to use their discretion and agree to pre-trial bonds when they believe them appropriate." Human trafficking Excerpt: "A dedicated unit of prosecutors will be created and funded in order to prioritize prosecution of organized crime leaders. Simultaneously, human trafficking victims will be aided by a Crime Victim’s Unit within the District Attorney’s Office, and if their victimization includes sexual abuse, their cases will be handled by seasoned, trained prosecutors assigned to the Sex Crimes Division. Animal cruelty Excerpt: "As your next DA, Kim Ogg will establish a reliable, well-publicized report-and-response system for reporting animal abuse and will create a specialized prosecution unit for Animal Crimes." Veterans Excerpt: "Kim Ogg believes United States veterans are Harris County's greatest assets. As a result, Ogg's platform includes specialized handling of cases involving veterans, whether as crime victims or as the accused in the Harris County criminal justice system." Gangs Excerpt: "Under Kim's leadership, the Harris County District Attorney's Office will employ a special division of prosecutors dedicated to gang prosecution. They will lead the effort to centralize collection of real-time gang crime reports using technology and use all legal tools available for prosecution of gang members." Marijuana Excerpt: "Ogg believes the residents of Harris County will be better served by redirecting tax dollars toward the prosecution of violent criminals, not the prosecution of misdemeanor marijuana cases."

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