Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, a lifelong Republican, said she planned to vote for two Democrats running statewide. In the race for Tarrant County judge, she backs Republican Tim O'Hare, who oversees the Tarrant County Commissioners Court. Parker told NBC 5 and the Dallas Morning News that she thinks many people feel the same way.
The Texas Tribune reports that Democrats hope to win over traditional Republican voters who are turned off by GOP candidates Ken Paxton and Bo French. Paxton has faced accusations of corruption and infidelity, and French has a history of racist social media posts. Republicans want to limit defections by moderates who have doubts about Democrats. Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University, said some Republican voters in Tarrant County have crossed over when they believe the GOP candidate is too far to the right.
Tarrant, the state's third-largest county, has shifted over the Trump era, with support swinging between the parties at the top of the ticket. Republicans hold a 3-2 majority on the county commissioners court, and the story says it could grow to 4-1 after district maps were redrawn last year. GOP candidates in the 11 Texas House districts that include Tarrant have raised four times more money than Democrats since July. Allison Campolo, chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, said Republicans have more money but Democrats have "people power."