BUSINESS CONNECTIONS HOUSTON
...Harris County, Texas
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The battle for Judge, County Criminal Court No. 9 between Attorney Toria J. Finch and Attorney John Wakefield Will Take Place on November 6, 2018 ANALYSIS BY AUBREY R. TAYLOR
In case you don’t already know, Judge Analia Wilkerson, the current presiding judge for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9 decided to not seek re-election back in the Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Republican Primary in Harris County, Texas. Judge Wilkerson’s absence on the Tuesday, November 6, 2018 ballot has set the stage for a showdown between John Wakefield, the Republican nominee, and Toria J. Finch, the Democrat nominee in the race for the 9th Criminal Court at Law in Harris County, Texas. TWO DULY-QUALIFIED ATTORNEYS
Toria J. Finch is a former Harris County Felony Prosecutor, and current Criminal Defense Attorney who is Board Certified in Juvenile Law. And John Wakefield is a career prosecutor, who is also board certified in the area of criminal law. Wakefield also happens to be a licensed peace officer who has dedicated his life to public service.
MEET JOHN WAKEFIELD
According to his website, during the fall of his senior year at Purdue University, Wakefield watched with the rest of the world as the attacks of 9/11 unfolded. Upon witnessing the horror of that day, Wakefield decided right then and there to pursue a life of public service to Americans. How-
FEATURED 2018 “DULY-QUALIFIED” CANDIDATES: Toria J. Finch (left) is the Democrat nominee and John Wakefield (right) is the Republican nominee in the race for Judge, County Criminal Court at Law No. 9 in Harris County, Texas. ever, due to a medical condition, he was disqualified from enlisting in the military, and ultimately decided to contribute to our nation by becoming an Assistant District Attorney. Now, according to his website, Wakefield seeks to continue his commitment to public service by seeking to become the next judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9 – the seat currently held by his fellow Republican.
STRICTLY BY THE NUMBERS
Who will win this race? Well, for John Wakefield to emerge successful on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 he’s going to have to get past Toria J. Finch, the Democrat nominee who could very-well easily be considered to be the front-runner heading into their Midterm Election show-
down. How can I say this? Well, neither of the two, (Wakefield or Finch) drew opponents back on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 in their respective party primaries. However, there are still a few takeaways that speak to the areas of strength for each candidate. A LOOK BACK AT THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS: John Wakefield received (18,609) absentee votes, and Toria J. Finch received (18,711) absentee votes – so Toria J. Finch has demonstrated that she can beat John Wakefield in this category. A LOOK BACK AT THE EARLY VOTING NUMBERS: John Wakefield received (44,101) early votes, and Toria J. Finch received (54,348) early votes – so Toria J. Finch has also
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The battle for Judge, County Criminal Court No. 9 between Attorney Toria J. Finch and Attorney John Wakefield Will Take Place on November 6, 2018
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demonstrated that she can beat Wakefield during the early voting period. A LOOK BACK AT THE ELECTION DAY VOTING NUMBERS: John Wakefield received (48,875) Election Day votes, and Toria J. Finch received (56,863) Election Day votes to demonstrate that she can also beat John Wakefield in turning out votes on Election Day!
TALE OF THE TAPE
Based on her stellar Democratic Party Primary showing alone, it would not be a stretch to label Toria J. Finch, the Democrat as the front-runner in this race based on the fact that she received (129,922) total votes back in the Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Democratic Party Primary for Harris County. By comparison, John Wakefield, the Republican received 111,585 total votes in the Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Republican Party Primary for Harris County. But that’s not all, you must also keep in mind that 44,802 Republican Primary voters chose to either not cast a ballot for John Wakefield, or simply skipped over his race for one reason or another. But to be fair, Toria J. Finch also had a large number of Democratic Primary voters to skip over her race on the ballot as well – triggering 38,060 under votes – which could mean that voters either chose to not cast a ballot, or simply skipped over a particular race altogether while casting their ballot.
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Neither, John Wakefield or Toria J. Finch can be considered the clear front-runner at this time – so I will do a recap of this race sometime before the start of early voting which begins on Monday, October 22, 2018 and ends on Friday, November 2, 2018.
2,249,591 REGISTERED VOTERS
The voter turnout wasn’t large enough for me to say with complete certainty what’s going to happen on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. But please keep in mind that according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office there are over 2,249,591 registered voters living in Harris County, Texas. With that number in mind, we only heard the voices of 167,982 Democrats, and 156,387 Republicans speak up back on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 – so who knows what’s going to happen when the big boys come to play?
A Message From The Toria J. Finch Campaign
Attorney Toria J. Finch is a first-generation attorney from Nashville, Tennessee. Attorney Finch is the youngest child of three, and the proud daughter of two humble civil servants who committed their lives to education, ministry, and community outreach programs. Attorney Finch has devoted her life and career to seeking out effective ways to inspire positive change in the lives of individuals and the community. Following graduation from high school, Attorney Finch attended undergraduate school at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama. While attending undergraduate school, Attorney Finch actively served in vari-
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ous civic and professional organizations which include: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Gamma Mu Undergraduate Chapter (President) (Attorney Finch is currently an active member of the Xi Alpha Omega Graduate Chapter located in Houston, Texas); Delta Mu National Honor Society; Mu Kappa Tau National Honor Society; and Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity, Inc., XI XI Chapter. She remains actively involved in community service here in the Houston community through her sorority and volunteers with National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Clinic. Attorney Finch worked as a marketing intern with m companies such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) during its groundbreaking year introducing the Semi-professional National Basketball Development League (NBDL), and with the Southeastern Regional Marketing Director for Chick-fil-A, Inc. While completing her undergraduate curriculum, Attorney Finch discovered her interest in the law during a Business Law Course. After graduating from Alabama A&M University with Honors (cum laude) obtaining a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing, she continued her education and research in the legal field by attending the Southeastern Paralegal Institute (ABA Approved) located in Nashville, Tennessee. Attorney Finch completed her paralegal studies and graduated with Honors earning a Paralegal Certificate. Following paralegal school, Attorney Finch accepted an offer to work as a Paralegal Clerk for the Nashville office of Frost Brown Todd, a large law firm based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Thereafter, Attorney Finch was blessed to receive admission into law school and chose to attend the Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL) located on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. During Attorney Finch’s matriculation at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, she continued a working relationship with Frost Brown Todd as a law clerk. Attorney Finch worked in various divisions, focusing the majority of her efforts in the Litigation Division handling civil litigation matters such as Contract Disputes, Employment Discrimination, and Bankruptcy. Also, as a law student, Attorney Finch worked with the State of Texas Attorney General’s Office in the Child Support Division, located in Houston, Texas; the Harris County District Attorney’s Office located in Houston, Texas; and the Travis County Juvenile Public Defender’s Office, located in Austin, Texas. While attending law school, Attorney Finch remained active with both civic and professional organizations. Attorney Finch was a student member of the prestigious Garland Walker Inns of
Court; Senior Staff Editor for the Thurgood Marshall Law Review; Chief Justice of the TMSL Honor Court; and Treasurer for the Board of Advocates. While maintaining her grades, Attorney Finch developed her lawyering skills and trial abilities by participating in numerous inter-mural and intra-mural mock trial and moot court competitions. Attorney Finch, along with her teammates regularly placed in the top ranks in competitions, and at times 1st place. Attorney Finch has a natural ability to stand bold and effectively advocate her position. It is through these experiences that Attorney Finch decided to use her advocacy skills and legal talents to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals and the community. Thereby, Attorney Finch has committed her life and career to working for her community and being a voice for the people. In November 2006, Attorney Finch gained admission to practice law in the State of Texas. She has worked as an Assistant Juvenile Public Defender with the Travis County Juvenile Public Defender’s Office located in Austin, Texas, where she acquired Board Certification in Juvenile Law awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specializations; as an Adjunct Professor for the Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law; and as an Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. While an Assistant District Attorney, she tried various misdemeanor and felony level bench trials and jury trials and achieved the level of Felony Prosecutor, and Misdemeanor Court Chief. In March 2015, Attorney Finch founded and manages The Finch Law Firm, PLLC, located in Houston, Texas where she dedicates her time and talents to fight for the rights, privileges, and protections of her clients afforded by both federal and state laws. During her many years of practice, Attorney Finch has accumulated a significant amount of relevant legal experiences in the areas of civil litigation, criminal law, family law, and juvenile law. Attorney Finch’s commitment to the community, compassion for people, her moral and spiritual integrity, her belief in the Constitution and that justice should truly be for all, in conjunction with her legal and analytical abilities make her a true champion for the people, and the right choice for Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9. Given her beliefs, when you vote for Attorney Finch, you vote for Truth, Justice, and Fairness. Currently, Attorney Finch is proudly endorsed by the following: Texas Coalition of Black Democrats Harris County Chapter, Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity, Tejano Democrats. and Area 5 Democrats.
ELECTION DAY:
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018
EARLY VOTING DATES FOR THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTION: Early voting will begin on Monday, October 22, 2018 and end on - Friday, November 2, 2018
“VOTE FINCH TO THE BENCH” Attorney Toria J. Finch is “PROUDLY’ endorsed by:
Texas Coalition of Black Democrats Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity Tejano Democrats Area 5 Democrats
Toria J. Finch
FOR JUDGE OF HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT AT LAW NO. 9
Attorney Toria J. Finch is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization 11 (+) Plus Years of Experience in Criminal Law Former Harris County Felony Prosecutor Experienced Trial Lawyer Former Juvenile Public Defender Former Harris County Misdemeanor Court Chief
ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018
VOTE EARLY: October 22nd - November 2, 2018
QUESTION: Why should YOU VOTE for Judicial Democratic Candidate Toria J. Finch on November 6th? ANSWER: A Vote for Toria J. Finch is a Vote For:
(T) = Truth
(J) = Justice
(F) = Fairness
WWW.VOTETORIAFINCH.COM
Pd. Pol. Ad by Vote Toria J. Finch for Judge Campaign, in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act, Pedro Danilo Quezada, Treasurer