Tarrant County Republicans pick new leader, who hopes to lead the way in 2020 election
It’s no secret that Tarrant County is a key battleground in this year’s election.
Now local Republicans have a new leader: Rick Barnes, who was elected party chairman Thursday night.
Barnes, a 56-year-old insurance agent, was chosen by precinct chairmen to lead the Tarrant Republican Party and replace former party Chairman Darl Easton, who stepped down in the waning days of 2019.
He said his job is clear: To make sure that Tarrant County remains one of the reddest counties in the state.
“Every election year, we are told that this is the most important election in our life,” he said. “2020 is.”
Barnes, a former Keller councilman, is unopposed for the unpaid post on the GOP March primary ballot.
He had planned to run for party chairman in 2018, but changed his mind at the last minute to make a bid for the Tarrant County Tax Assessor Collector post. Republican Wendy Burgess won the job and is seeking re-election this year.
Now he takes the helm of the Republican Party in Tarrant County at a time many are watching to see what voters do here this year. Deborah Peoples heads the Tarrant County Democratic Party.
Tarrant has long been considered a bellwether because the county’s presidential election results mirrored state election results in recent years.
Then in the 2018 battle for the U.S. Senate, Republican Ted Cruz won his re-election bid, but lost Tarrant County by 4,308 votes to Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
Tarrant County was named one of “10 counties that will decide the 2020 election” by The Hill in Washington, D.C. Will it return to red, turn blue or become purple?
“We know the reality from the ‘Beto factor:’ He woke up a lot of Democrats,” Barnes said. “What I don’t think the Democrats are prepared for is that the ‘Beto factor’ dramatically woke up Republicans too.”
When asked if Tarrant County will remain red, Barnes said: “Absolutely.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
