Voters in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, seemingly decided to replace Republican incumbent District Attorney General Amy Weirich with Democrat Steve Mulroy, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Mulroy was a progressive candidate who criticized Weirich for misconduct and failure to lower crime rates. Mulroy promised that he would diversify the office and review bail policies if elected. He denied being anti-police. He said that he wants to hire more officers, improve police training and pay and refocus on violent crime. Mulroy got 56.12 percent of the vote and Weirich 43.79 percent.
Mulroy, 58, was a civil rights lawyer and prosecutor for the U.S. Justice Department. Since 2000, he has worked as a law professor at the University of Memphis. In Memphis, he became well known for his voters’ rights activism. Weirich has been District Attorney General for Shelby County since 2011. She was appointed by former Gov. Bill Haslam. She joined the district attorney’s office in 1991 and worked up to her current position. She is known to be tough on crime and has worked to prevent convicts from receiving parole for certain crimes. In her campaign ads, she included parents of adult children who had been murdered. Mulroy has received support from musician John Legend, rapper and actor Common and civil rights attorney Ben Crump.