Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles, who represent Districts 1 and 2, respectively, voted against the new party lines. Their districts are the ones most impacted by the redrawn party lines.
What happened?
Map 7 was the one approved out of seven options presented to the court May 30. The commissioners who voted for the redistricting said the updated lines coincide with Tarrant County’s residential majority being more conservative. The newly approved Tarrant County redistricting map is expected to bolster Republican prospects in upcoming elections.
“Tarrant County has consistently elected Republicans to judicial seats, state legislative positions and other countywide offices,” O’Hare said in a statement. “The Commissioners Court’s precincts will now mirror this political majority.”
District 3, which is represented by Krause and includes the cities of Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine, Keller and parts of northeast Fort Worth, will now dip further into what was District 1 and District 2, according to the presented map options on the county’s website. Most notably, the updated map shows that entertainment areas AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Texas Live will move into Precinct 3 from Precinct 2.
“I’m very excited for the future of Tarrant County,” Krause said in a news release. “When I ran for County Commissioner, I did so to help make Tarrant County the most conservative place in Texas to live and raise a family. What we did [June 3] ensures we will have the possibility to do that.”
He said the majority of Precinct 3 residents are in favor of redistricting, including Colleyville Mayor Bobby Lindamood, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani and Southlake Mayor Shawn McCaskill. Along with North Richland Hills Mayor Jack McCarty, Lindamood, Mizani and McCaskill announced their support of the redistricting May 29.
“I voted to update our maps [June 3] because I was given a clear, personal mandate by my constituents,” Krause said.
He added that Texas local governments rank right behind New York and California in local bond debt, which prompted his decision.
Of the more than 200 speakers who signed up to speak at the commissioners meeting, the majority were opposed to the redistricting. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker also was opposed to the redistricting this year, signing a letter with nine other Tarrant County mayors May 23 asking to postpone the redistricting until the 2030 Census data came out.
The meeting went on for more than five hours before it went into executive session after 3 p.m. and concluded two hours later.
The backstory
The new map was presented with six other options by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, an Alexandria, Virginia, law firm hired by the county April 2. Both Miles and Simmons were opposed to the hiring of the firm at that meeting due to its conservative reputation.
When the option of redistricting came up in 2021, that commissioners court voted against redrawing party lines, saying the voter balance was fair, according to previous reporting. This marks the first time since 2011 that the lines have been redrawn.
The move coincides with the 2026 November election where ballot items will include the commissioners’ seats. Shortly after the redistricting vote passed, Republican Tony Tinderholt announced he will be running for the Precinct 2 position.
Normally, the redistricting process happens every 10 years at the beginning of a decade to coincide with the most recent release of U.S. Census data, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
