Former prosecutor and judge Susan Hawk became the first woman elected as Dallas County District Attorney after incumbent Craig Watkins conceded overnight.
Hawk, the GOP challenger to Watkins (D), took a commanding lead in the race and won by about 3,000 votes.
In a speech Tuesday night, Hawk said the district attorney's office is about justice, not politics. She said she's excited to start working on her agenda, which includes the Public Integrity Unit.
"This job matters to us, and I can't even tell you the feeling I have right now," she said.
Watkins congratulated Hawk Tuesday night, saying he hopes she continues the work he did while in office.
"I got to be a change agent for eight years. And so I'm blessed for that," he said. "So I'm going to move forward and do something different and continue to make this country better in a different capacity."
Watkins won national acclaim during his eight years as Dallas County DA for creating a Conviction Integrity Unit that's freed more than 30 men wrongfully convicted of crimes.
But the FBI investigated how Watkins handled a mortgage-fraud case involving an oil heir. Opponents accused Watkins of bullying opponents and using county funds to cover up a car crash in which he acknowledged using his cellphone while driving.
Early voting numbers gave Hawk only a slight edge, but as the night progressed her lead grew to 2,400 and then to as much as 4,400 votes.
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