Republicans Sorrells, Krause in runoff to face Tiffany Burks for Tarrant district attorney
Republicans Phil Sorrells and state Rep. Matt Krause are headed to a May 24 runoff to see who will face Democrat Tiffany Burks for Tarrant County criminal district attorney.
Sorrells had 40.94% of the vote to Krause’s 30.95% with all 191 of the county’s vote centers reporting early Wednesday morning. District court judge Mollee Westfall had 28.57%.
Krause said his decade-long conservative track record in the state Legislature resonated with Tarrant County Republican primary voters. His district represents parts of north and east Fort Worth and Arlington.
Krause originally ran for Texas attorney general, but dropped out and entered the county’s district attorney race in November. He cited the unofficial endorsement of outgoing county criminal district attorney Sharon Wilson as part of the reason he chose to switch races.
He also mentioned a private conversation with Wilson in which she described how the county criminal district attorney has shifted from a courtroom position to someone more active in managing the office’s policy direction.
Krause cited his policy experience in the Legislature as part of what qualifies him to take over the role. Despite not having experience as a criminal prosecutor, Krause pointed to his experience in constitutional and civil law as assets in the county DA role.
Burks led the Democrats with 60.51%. Albert John Roberts finished with 28.62% and Lawrence Meyers had 10.88%.
Sorrells has served as judge of the Tarrant County Criminal Court No. 10 for 25 years.
He ran on a campaign to support the police, prosecute criminal conduct by undocumented individuals, and clear the backlog of cases caused by COVID-19 restrictions.
Late Tuesday, Sorrells said he and his team was encouraged by the early voting result.
Sorrells received endorsements from former President Donald Trump, former Gov. Rick Perry and half a dozen conservative organizations and PACs.
He said Trump’s endorsement paid dividends in all aspects of the campaign
“That just lets you know who the real Republican is in the race,” he said.
In October, Krause made headlines when he launched an investigation into Texas school districts over 850 books related to race or sexuality.
Burks, an attorney, served as the deputy chief of the criminal division for the district attorney’s office. She’s spent the majority of her 25 year career in Tarrant County.
She’s running on promoting safe communities without over-policing, using diversion programs partnering with community liaisons to deal with the challenges that impact criminal conduct.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 7:22 PM.
.jpg)