Democrats won several key offices in Tarrant County on Tuesday, including a 4-1 majority on the county's Commissioners Court. Democrat Alisa Simmons defeated incumbent County Judge Tim O'Hare. The party also won two Commissioners Court seats and flipped other countywide offices, including district attorney and county clerk.
Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Allison Campolo said the results showed voters no longer want Republican leadership at the county or state level. Republican strategist Vinny Minchillo said the results should be a wake-up call for the party. Matt Krause, now the lone Republican on the five-member court, called the results a "bloodbath" in a social media post Wednesday.
Simmons said she would be the first Democrat elected Tarrant County judge in nearly 40 years, and the first Black person and first woman to hold the position. She said she had criticized O'Hare during his tenure over the removal of people from court meetings and the push to redraw precinct lines. Simmons said the redistricting mainly affected Black and Latino voters. She said she looks forward to governing without the conflict she described on the court.