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Assistant District Attorney Mindy Montford officially launched her campaign for DA Thursday night with help from some of her family’s politically-connected friends and more than 200 supporters at Nuevo Leon. Montford, one of four members of the District Attorney’s staff seeking the top job, has been running campaign ads on TV and has already raised $45,000 for her race in the Democratic Party primary election.

 

Montford, the daughter of former State Senator John Montford, had several high-profile supporters in the packed meeting room including Jan Bullock, Bruce Todd, Buster Brown, Scott Ozmun, and former Texas Governor Mark White. “I don’t know of a more important DA’s office than the one here in Travis County because of the responsibilities they have…covering the public integrity provisions for state officials,” White said.“She’s been in the Public Integrity Unit here.”

 

White noted that Montford has a long history of community involvement. While at 37 she is the youngest of the four current DA staff members seeking the job, he said, “Anything over 30 is old enough. She will do a great job for the people of Travis County. She has the maturity. She has the integrity. She has the experience, and she has the energy.”

 

Montford reminded the crowd that incumbent DA Ronnie Earle was just 34 years old when he took office nearly 32 years ago. “There’s been a lot of talk about ‘she’s too young’, ‘she’s got a lot of lobbyist friends’, ‘she’s got a lot of Republican friends’. I’m not going to apologize for any of those things,” she said. “As Travis County District Attorney, I’m not going to stop and ask what political party and what occupation you are before I prosecute a crime. On the flip side of that, if you break the law, I’m not going ask what political party or occupation you are in. I’m going to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

 

Montford promised to bring new ideas and technological changes to the office if elected. “We are not the same community as we were in the 1970s, 80s, or 90s. It is 2008, and if we do not get ahead of the criminal, they are going to be ahead of us…and they are going to be attacking our neighbors, our family, and our friends,” she said.