Arlington, Mansfield election runoffs are Tuesday. They should be ‘nonpartisan,’ but ...
Local government elections are supposed to be nonpartisan, but Tarrant County Republican Party chairman Rick Barnes recently sent an email to members warning that some candidates are supported by “leftist” and “Marxist” organizations such as “BLM.”
“BLM” is a reference to Black Lives Matter, a social justice movement that has became a rallying cry this year during protests about police officers’ treatment of African Americans and other people of color across the nation.
Barnes warned GOP supporters last week that mayoral, city council and school board races in multiple cities neighboring Fort Worth featured clear choices between candidates loyal to his party and those backed by pro-Democrat organizations. The candidates he singled out included a handful of people in Arlington, Colleyville, Grapevine, Haltom City, Keller, Mansfield and White Settlement.
“Although all of these are considered to be non-partisan, there are stark differences between many of the candidates and their opponents,” Barnes wrote.
In the runoff for Mansfield mayor, Barnes proclaimed that candidate Brent Newsom “has long been a community leader and supporter of Republican candidates” whereas Newsom’s opponent Michael Evans, a pastor who is Black, was a “democrat activist being supported by leftist organizations like Tarrant Together and BLM.”
In Arlington, Barnes described City Council candidate Victoria Farrar-Myers as a “solid conservative with long-standing ties to the Tarrant County Republican Party,” whereas Antoine Lane “is a Marxist BLM radical who supports segregating the community by race and wants to defund the police entirely.”
In Mansfield, Evans took offense to that characterization. He posted multiple messages on his campaign Facebook page accusing Barnes of using suggestive language adopted by Republicans in nationally-prominent races to stir fear of crime in neighborhoods that were actually safe.
“Outside Agitators Are Not Welcomed!” Evans wrote. He also posted a short video on his Facebook page urging followers to remember that “Mansfield is different. We work together here. We are not red. We are not blue. We are Mansfield strong. Stay the course.”
Reached later by phone, Evans said he thought the GOP chair’s tactic would backfire among voters who don’t want to hear such partisan language in their choices for city hall.
“There is so much fatigue. People are just tired of the rancor,” he said. “They are tired of that divisive language.”
Newsom did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment.
Barnes said in a phone interview that his main goal was to show support and get out the vote for candidates who are active in the county party.
He added that he believed it was Democrats who first began using partisan messaging in local elections.
“We have found more and more municipal and school board candidates have become more partisan in their messaging,” Barnes said.
Barnes also said he believes that Black Lives Matter is in fact a pro-Democrat organization, and not just a civil rights social movement.
In Arlington, Farrar-Myers and Lane also could not be immediately reached to comment.
Barnes’ email also singled out Grapevine-Colleyville school board candidate Tommy Snyder as a “proven conservatives we need who will push back against the social justice/BLM activists who are trying to take over that school district.”
Snyder and his opponent, Coley Canter, also couldn’t immediately be reached.
