Former DA Sam Millsap, a Democrat, Endorses Republican Ashley Foster for Bexar County District Attorney
Millsap, who held the office from 1982 to 1986, crossed party lines Monday to back Foster over Democrat Luz Elena Chapa, saying the office's future matters more than party loyalty.
A former Bexar County district attorney crossed party lines on Monday in the race to lead the office he once held. Sam Millsap, a Democrat who served as district attorney from 1982 to 1986, endorsed Republican Ashley Foster for the post, the San Antonio Current reported. Foster is running against Democrat Luz Elena Chapa, whose experience prosecuting cases has drawn scrutiny during the campaign, including from the San Antonio Express-News editorial board.
"I am making this endorsement because the future of the District Attorney's Office matters more than party loyalty," Millsap said in a statement reported by the Current. "After more than 40 years of watching this office and the community it serves, I believe Bexar County needs competent leadership." Millsap has remained a public voice in Bexar County politics in the decades since he left office, most prominently as an outspoken critic of the death penalty — a position that grew out of his office's capital murder prosecution of Ruben Cantu, who was executed in 1992, more than a decade before a Houston Chronicle investigation raised serious questions about his guilt.
The endorsement lands in the final stretch of early voting, which runs through Friday, Oct. 30, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. Foster's campaign is also contending with independent candidate Jason Wolff, whom political observers cited by the Current say could draw conservative votes from Foster in a difficult cycle for Republicans. In his statement, Millsap said the office faces serious challenges and that he had not heard a convincing argument for continuing under the same party's leadership. The district attorney leads the office that prosecutes criminal cases across Bexar County.
