Bill Waybourn claims victory in race for Tarrant County sheriff
Waybourn Still in the Lead
With all 331 Tarrant County voting centers reporting, Republican Sheriff Bill Waybourn is still in the lead Wednesday morning with 52.87% of the vote compared to 47.13% for Democratic candidate Vance Keyes, according to unofficial results as of 12:33 a.m.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Waybourn thanked his supporters on Facebook for electing him for another 4-year-term. At 10:48 p.m. Keyes posted a video on his Facebook page to supporters saying, “We want to ensure each and every one of your votes is counted.”
Tuesday Night Results
With 53% of the vote, Republican Sheriff Bill Waybourn thanked supporters for electing him to a second term just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
He held the lead over Democratic challenger Vance Keyes with 291 of 331 voting centers reporting. He took office in 2017,
“We’ve started down the road of making the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office the best in the country,” he wrote on Facebook. “Now we can finish making that vision come about.”
Keyes is a Fort Worth police officer who oversees the tactical operations division, including SWAT and Special Operations.
Waybourn’s opponents argued that he is more of a politician than a sheriff. Keyes said he would focus on reducing jail deaths, hiring a more diverse staff and ending the federal 287G(g) program, which allows deputies to act as ICE agents.
The last year of Waybourn’s tenure brought criticism from Democrats after 10 people died in the jail in 2020, a spike from previous years. Overall, 18 people have died under Waybourn’s watch.
Waybourn became a conservative celebrity during his time in office. He spoke at President Donald Trump’s White House, is often a guest on conservative radio talk shows and has stood next to a Republican congressional candidate in uniform for a TV spot.
Keyes posted a video to Facebook thanking his supporters.
“Let’s continue to work to make Tarrant County what we know it can be and that’s a whole lot better, a whole lot more accountable, a whole lot more transparent and compassionate,” he said.
Judges
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 153
Alisha Darden: 46%
Susan McCoy: 54%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 213
Lakesha Smith: 46%
Chris Wolfe: 54%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 342
Valerie Baston: 46%
Kimberly Fitzpatrick: 54%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 348
Megan Fahey: 54%
Maryellen W. Hicks: 46%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 352
Josh Burgess: 54%
Olyn Poole: 46%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 360
Patricia Baca Bennett: 53%
Michael Munoz: 47%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 48
David Evans: 53%
Lawrence Meyers: 47%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 67
Don Cosby: 53%
Matthew Hegeman: 47%
▪ Texas District Court Judge District 96
Tim Brandenburg: 46%
Pat Gallagher: 54%
▪ Tarrant County Criminal District Court Judge No. 2
Wayne Salvant: 52%
Karen Williams: 47%
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:02 PM.
