Tittle defeats 15-year incumbent Leonard for district court seat

Republican candidate Steve Tittle defeated incumbent Joe Leonard for the 196th District Court Judge by a margin of 10,754 to 6,865.

"I am very appreciative of all my supporters," Tittle said. "There are a lot of people that have spent a lot of time, money and effort into campaigns in Hunt County."

He expressed his gratitude for the way his opponent ran his campaign.

"I am equally grateful that my friend, Joe Leonard, and I ran such a good campaign and he was just as honorable as a candidate," Tittle said. "He is a very honorable, honest man."

Tittle plans to get back to his work as district attorney as soon as possible.

"My plans for tomorrow are to resolve cases at the DA office," he said. "I've got a lot of victims that I'm still representing there in the court and I want to make sure they receive justice. The first thing I want to do is separate the criminal and civil cases."

Dale Money, Treasurer Hunt County GOP, discussed how difficult the race was.

"It was an uphill battle," he said. "Tittle beat the long-term incumbent. Leonard was a good man, but Tittle came out on top."

Denise Donnenwerth, Hunt County GOP Secretary and volunteer for Steve Tittle's campaign, thought that electing Republican candidates in non-Presidential elections years was integral to their strategy.

"In the off years when you don't have a Presidential election, it's important to get other Republican officials elected," she said. "In Texas, it helps with redistricting and just to send a voice that says we don't want liberalism, we want conservatism. That's the message it sends to Washington."

Leonard served as judge for the 196th District Court for 15 years.

Tittle considers his youth an advantage for his position.

"At 37-years-old, I have the energy, enthusiasm and determination to work the long hours necessary to streamline the case schedule, balance spending and resolve cases expeditiously," Tittle said.

Now that he is in office, Tittle has many plans to update the Hunt County Courthouse.

"I will modernize the courtroom so that it is functional, yet maintains its historic value," he said. "The 196th courtroom has never had permanent audio or visual equipment installed. There is no permanent monitor, television screen, document projector, or even a simple DVD player installed. Instead, a small television and DVD player are carted into the courtroom when needed."