SAN ANTONIO – After a confidently run campaign, Bexar County voters did not send District Attorney Nico LaHood into the general election Tuesday night.
LaHood offered his input Wednesday about why he thinks it happened.
"The money from New York and from George Soros was obviously a huge issue, and that's not an excuse. That's a fact. A little over three weeks or four weeks, a million dollars comes in," LaHood said.
George Soros is an investor and political activist from New York who has contributed to many progressive campaigns across the country, including Joe Gonzales'.
LaHood was then asked about his monetary support from donors such as Thomas J. Henry in the past.
"They're apples and oranges. I don't have an issue with the amount Soros gave. The circumstances bother me," LaHood said. "Thomas J. Henry vetted me out. We had multiple meetings. He pays taxes here. He lives here. George Soros is from New York and he doesn't know Joe Gonzales."
LaHood will not be endorsing Joe Gonzales in the general election. As for Gonzales' Republican competitor, Tylden Shaeffer, LaHood hasn't decided if he's going to endorse him.
When asked if he'd run for district attorney again in the future, LaHood said: "Everything's on the table. I mean, I never wanted to run for DA initially, never thought I could run for DA, and then look how things happened. So I'm just going to walk in faith."
LaHood said his focus now is his remaining nine months on the job.
"We've done a lot," he said. "We're going to continue to serve, solidify these programs, try to be as successful as we can with them and ultimately protect the citizens of Bexar County."
LaHood said it's difficult knowing he's started some big cases he may not be able to finish. One is prosecuting Otis McKane, who is charged in the murder of San Antonio police Detective Benjamin Marconi.
"We move forward. I have made a decision to seek the death penalty. Joe Gonzales has said he's not ever going to seek the death penalty," he said.
The other case is that of Genene Jones, the killer nurse LaHood brought back to try on more murder charges.
"That's another case that means a lot to the community and meant a lot to the people working in this office. If they get resolved by the end of the nine months, great. If not, we'll hand it off to whomever the citizens of Bexar County choose," he said.
LaHood hopes programs he introduced, such as cite and release and the domestic-violence prosecutor team, will stay intact, but he knows that's up to the next district attorney.