A Fort Worth mayoral candidate has endorsements from the Bass family, other big names
A litany of powerful Fort Worth names have lined up behind Mattie Parker in the race for mayor.
Parker’s campaign Thursday posted a list of endorsements on her campaign website with a prompt for others to sign on in support of her to replace Mayor Betsy Price, who Parker worked for as the City Council chief of staff.
Price will not seek another term. The election is May 1.
Among those backing Parker are members of the billionaire Bass family who have shaped much of Fort Worth’s business and philanthropic community: Ramona and Lee Bass, Sasha and Ed Bass and Sid Bass. Dee Kelly Jr., a prominent lawyer who has represented the Bass family, also signed on. He had considerred running for Fort Worth mayor himself.
Hillwood president Mike Berry and his wife Marilyn also support Parker. Hillwood is the Ross Perot Jr. company behind Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport and related development. Bill Meadows, chairman of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Board of Directors and a former city councilman, is on the list with former councilman Zim Zimmerman.
A few local politicians also made the list, including former Democratic U.S. Rep. Pete Geren, Republican state Rep. Craig Goldman and Fort Worth councilman Dennis Shingleton, who is retiring this year.
While those names stick out, Parker said the endorsements also show a growing grassroots campaign, noting that many people on the list are those she has met through school events with her children or in her neighborhood.
“Those names are equally as important to me as anyone else,” she said.
Parker’s campaign pushed the endorsements out after U.S. Rep. Kay Granger endorsed councilman Brian Byrd in the Fort Worth mayoral race. Parker and Byrd also face opposition from councilwoman Ann Zadeh, Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairwoman Deborah Peoples and two new names in the city’s political world: Chris Rector and Mike Haynes.
It’s hard to measure whether a plethora of backers like Parker’s will turn into real votes, said Andrea Benjamin, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma who researches political endorsements.
Those endorsements do provide voters with a quick overview of the candidate’s policies though. If a voter feels their ideals and vision for the city are in line with the Bass family’s or they’re pleased with the growth in the Alliance corridor, the endorsement may signal that Parker is the right candidate. Likewise, if a voter is unhappy with the status quo they may turn away from the candidate, Benjamin said.
“These endorsements can provide the information that voters are seeking without requiring them to do a ton of work, and that might be useful,” she said.
Prominent endorsements may matter little to voters in a city growing as quickly as Fort Worth. New residents are less likely to recognize these names and may be more willing to support a candidate with a strong personal campaign, Benjamin said.
“This is sort of dependent on a lot of factors,” she said. “Are candidates mobilizing, doing get out the vote campaigns, or registering voters? Those new voters that are coming, they don’t care who these people are.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:35 AM.
