Assistant Travis DA Will Run For Top Spot, Hinting At Earle Retirement

There has been a great deal of speculation about this for some time:

An assistant to Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle said Tuesday that he is campaigning for Earle’s job because he doesn’t expect the longtime prosecutor to seek re-election next year.

Rick Reed, who is helping Earle prosecute former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and promises to see the case through if elected, said Earle hasn’t confided his political plans but didn’t discourage Reed’s exploratory campaign.

Reed said Earle, in a private conversation two weeks ago, told him that “he had not made up his mind and he probably wouldn’t make up his mind for another month or so.”

There also have been a number of rumors about what Earle would do after he ends his tenure as Travis County DA. Everything from Attorney General to Court of Criminal Appeals has been mentioned. Earle’s name has also been mentioned for possible federal appointments (judgeships, specifically) should we be fortunate enough to have a Democratic president in 2009.
As for one of the office’s most important prosecutions, about which there has also been speculation relating to Earle’s retirement, here is how Reed would handle that:

He said he would continue with the prosecution of DeLay if it is still pending when he takes office.

If Earle does not, in fact, seek another term, expect as many as five or six candidates for this post. It’ll be a huge primary.

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