HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The common link between current District Attorney Devon Anderson and challenger Kim Ogg is that they both once worked in the prosecutor's office.
Anderson served for 12 years and rose to chief felony prosecutor and personally tried more than 100 trials. Kim Ogg also served as Chief Felony prosecutor in her almost seven years in that office and also had more than 100 jury trials to her credit.
Beyond their common passion for going after lawbreakers, there is little that ties them together.
This week their relationship was strained further when Ogg claimed it was a secret plea deal from the prosecutor's office that helped Kelly Jo Ivey get out of prison early on a methamphetamine charge. Ivey has now been charged in the head-on collision that killed Harris County Deputy Jesse Valdez.
"That she would use a deputy's death for political fodder makes me physically ill," said Anderson. "Shame on you!" as she accused Ogg of using the deputy's death for political gain.
Ogg said she was stating facts, not politicizing the death of Deputy Valdez and in a statement called for Anderson to "stop politicizing this tragedy."
Ogg's clarification was not enough to keep the Houston Metro Police Union from rescinding their endorsement of her.
"The board felt that you using the loss of this Deputy's life for political gain, was uncalled for and unethical," Union President Robert Lozano said in a statement.
Even without that dust-up, there have been plenty of other feisty interactions in what has been a campaign filled with mudslinging amid meaningful debate.
Rice University Political Science Chair Mark Jones says voters are able to see clear differences.
"The de-penalization of marijuana, issues related to the death penalty and tougher sentencing for burglars have been actively discussed so voters are actually getting a taste of policy differences and policy commonalities as opposed to campaigning against President Obama or slinging pure mud," he said.
As Election Day approaches, political ads on TV are driving up the rhetoric even more.
"Kim Ogg isn't just wrong, she's dangerous. But Devon Anderson is tough on crime," says the Anderson campaign ad.
"I'm dangerous all right, if you're a robber, rapist or murderer," answers the Ogg ad. "Unlike Devon Anderson, I'll never cut secret deals with judges who break the law."
Don't look for the accusations to slow down any time soon. A recent poll by Houston Public Media indicates the candidates are in a dead heat with more than 40 percent of potential voters saying they were undecided. That's plenty of reason for both sides to keep the pressure on all the way to Election Day.