Fort Worth council candidate uses homophobic slur in attack of incumbent opponent
.png "Payton Jackson (left) used a homophobic slur to describe her opponent Chris Nettles (right) in a race for a seat on the Fort Worth city council.")
Fort Worth council candidate Payton Jackson launched another salvo in her war of words against incumbent Chris Nettles, using a homophobic slur to describe the incumbent.
Jackson’s attack came in a Facebook post accusing Nettles of a lack of toughness following an April 10 altercation between the two at a candidate forum in the Historic Southside neighborhood.
Nettles acknowledged seeing the post in a text message to the Star-Telegram.
“It has no merit. I don’t desire to fuel these false accusations. My priorities are on my family, District 8 and Fort Worth as a whole,” he said.
Jackson’s post drew condemnation from the Tarrant County Democratic Party. Fort Worth’s mayoral and city council races are nonpartisan, however, Nettles has been associated with the Democratic Party in the past.
“This kind of rhetoric is not only deeply offensive — it is disqualifying for anyone seeking to serve in public office,” a party spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement went on to condemn Jackson’s use of the slur, arguing she did not demonstrate the “maturity, integrity and respect” required to be a leader.
[MORE: Early voting starts April 22. What you need to know]
Jackson sent a statement in response to a Star-Telegram question about her use of the slur. She accused the Tarrant County Democratic party of hypocrisy for its apparent support of Nettles.
“This isn’t about decorum — it’s about control. They can’t handle that a candidate like me exists outside their leash,” Jackson said in her statement.
She also posted a response to the Tarrant County Democrats on Facebook.
“Save your selective outrage! I promised transparency! He IS EXACTLY WHAT I CALLED HIM,” Jackson said in her post.
Both statements referenced Jackson’s December 2024 release of a 2-year-old audio clip of Nettles in which Nettles could be heard calling some of his colleagues racist.
Nettles acknowledged his comments after the clip was released. In a statement he said the recording “may have been heavily edited” and was taken during a deeply emotional time for him.
Businessman Arthur McCoy Jr., who is also running for the District 8 seat, also condemned Jackson’s post in an emailed statement to the Star-Telegram.
“District 8 deserves better than divisiveness, immaturity, and hate. It’s time for us to move past the chaos and step into a future defined by integrity, vision, and real leadership,” he said.
McCoy framed himself as the alternative to both Jackson and Nettles saying he will be a council member that puts aside petty differences and leads the district with “forward-thinking leadership—not more drama.”
Early voting runs from April 22 to April 29 with election day on May 3. If no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff on June 7.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 2:51 PM.
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