Mattie Parker will be the next mayor of Fort Worth over Deborah Peoples, according to June 5 runoff election results.
Parker received 53.55% of the vote while Peoples had 46.45% as of 11:15 p.m. with Parker County showing one vote center still to report.
Parker went on stage at her campaign's watch party at around 9:40 p.m. and declared victory, noting she had received a call from Deborah Peoples to concede. The victory speech was livestreamed on the Facebook page for Parker's campaign.
Reached by phone, Parker said she was excited to get started. One of her top priorities from the beginning will be Fort Worth's economy, she said.
“Right now, I think it’s just a laser-focus on our economy,” Parker said. “What does it look like to put gasoline on the fire and go — it’s go time in Fort Worth.”
She also reflected on overcoming low name recognition at the outset of her candidacy — and how her team worked to connect with voters in the nation's 12th largest city.
“I think, No. 1, we didn’t turn anything down — I spoke to as many people as I could across our entire city,” Parker said. “Over time, you could see that the momentum started to build.”
Finally, Parker—who congratulated Peoples earlier while on stage for a well-run campaign—said she looked forward to unifying Fort Worth after an extended election cycle, noting her aspiration for the city to be a place where residents could come out of their "proverbial political corners."
“I want [Fort Worth] to be an example across the country,” she said.
At 10:40 p.m., the Peoples campaign issued a statement from the candidate acknowledging the election's result.
"While one night's results may not have been what we wanted, the historic turnout sent a clear message that voters are crying out for leaders who accept Texans of all backgrounds, races, and walks of life," Peoples said in the statement. "I will continue the fight to give more communities a seat at the table, expand prosperity to all our neighborhoods, and elect leaders who truly represent all the people."
Parker and Peoples had been vying to replace longtime Mayor Betsy Price.
In the original election on May 1, 10 candidates were on the ballot, with no candidate receiving 50% of the vote. Parker and Peoples finished as the two top vote-getters to advance to the runoff.
Parker is a nonprofit executive who formerly was chief of staff for Price. Peoples is retired after careers in both the public and private sectors.
For the latest results on other races from the June 5 runoff, visit www.communityimpact.com.
