Tarrant County had 592,227 voters, or 46.96%, cast a ballot during the midterm elections. That showed a decrease of 8.8% compared to the 2018 elections, which had 40,000 more votes.
Tarrant County voters also took advantage of the early voting period from Oct. 24-Nov. 4 with 41% of the total votes coming during that period. On Election Day, 202,921 voters went to the 316 different countywide locations.
There were 1.26 million registered voters for this election, up from 1.134 million in 2018.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court will maintain a 3-2 advantage for the Republicans at the executive level.
Republican Tim O’Hare defeated Democrat Deborah Peoples by a 6% margin to become the judge. O’Hare will replace B. Glen Whitley, who chose not to seek re-election after serving as the judge since 2007 and on the commission since 1997. A Republican has been the judge in Tarrant County—the state’s third-largest county, according to a 2021 report by Cubit—since 1991, and that will extend another four years.
“It was a culmination of a year and half of really hard work and putting together a team and working with that team,” O’Hare said following the win. “Once we saw the results for early voting, we knew we had it won. It was a great feeling to know Tarrant County remains solidly Republican. It is very humbling. The county judge in Texas is the chief political position. It is a big undertaking and a big responsibility.”
O’Hare formerly served as a council member and later mayor in Farmers Branch before moving to Southlake. He has run a law firm and real estate business for the past 25 years.
The two political parties split wins for open commissioner spots. Democrat Alisa Simmons won Precinct 2 to replace Democrat Devan Allen, who did not seek re-election after one term. Simmons bested Andy Nguyen, who was a commissioner from 2010-18.
Manny Ramirez, a former Fort Worth police officer, will be the new Precinct 4 commissioner, beating Cedric Kanyinda by 19%. Ramirez replaces J.D. Johnson, whose 36 years in office makes him the longest tenure commissioner in the county’s history.
Republican Phil Sorrells won the district attorney race against Tiffany Burks, garnering 53.25% of the vote.
