Texas Votes: Key takeaways from the Democratic, Republican primaries in Tarrant County
Tarrant County saw an election marked by reporting delays as Republicans challenging their opponents from the right saw some success.
Early voting results teased potential outcomes Tuesday evening after polls closed at 7 p.m., but a “computer problem” delayed election night results until early Wednesday, leaving voters wondering as they went to bed who had advanced to the November election outright and who would be heading to a runoff.
A clearer picture has emerged in two key county races in which incumbents aren’t seeking reelection.
In the election to replace longtime county judge, Republican Tim O’Hare and and Democrat Deborah Peoples are headed to the general election in November, with O’Hare pulling off an upset against former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, who served for 10 years. And in the race for Tarrant County district attorney, Republicans Phil Sorrells and state Rep. Matt Krause will vie for a spot on the November ballot with Democrat Tiffany Burks.
“The Republican Party chose a path of nominating the more conservative candidates nearly across the board for the offices that were contested,” said Jim Riddlesperger, a TCU political science professor.
The races are just some featured in a packed primary ballots, with closely-watch races up and down the ballot.
Here are some takeaways from the 2022 Democratic and Republican primaries.
How did Republicans do in Tarrant County?
There was a trend this election cycle of Republicans challenging fellow Republicans for not being conservative enough. It paid off in a few races.
Perhaps the most high-profile example is the contest between Price and O’Hare. O’Hare, a Southlake attorney and former Farmers Branch mayor who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, received 56.95% of votes. O’Hare while mayor oversaw a City Council that approved an ordinance barring landlords from renting to undocumented immigrants and an ordinances making English the town’s official language. (Both were found unconstitutional by courts). He’s also organized a political action committee aimed that stopped a diversity action plan in Carroll schools.
“I think the message loud and clear is that Tarrant County Republicans want a conservative candidate,” O’Hare said at an election night watch party. “Clearly they thought I was the conservative candidate.”
Current County Judge Glen Whitley, who isn’t seeking reelection, weighed in expressing disappointment with early voting results. He thought the race would be more about the issues than the attacks, he said.
“It was a particularly stark demonstration of of Trump’s clout,” SMU Political Science Professor Cal Jillson said of the county judge race. “In a lot of endorsements. Trump will endorse and evident winners in order to drive up his batting average, but I didn’t think that I didn’t think that Tim O’Hare was an obvious winner.”
Republicans Phil Sorrells, Trump’s backed candidate and who long served as the judge for Tarrant County Criminal Court Number 10, and state Rep. Matt Krause are headed into runoffs in the Tarrant County District Attorney race. Sorrells said the endorsement is indicative of “the real Republican is in the race.” Krause is among the most conservative representatives in the legislature.
State Rep. Stephanie Klick was up against a slate of Republicans who hit her on issues like gender-affirming health care for transgender children — drawing more opponents than any Republican incumbent in Texas. While she had the lead, she was pushed into a runoff by David Lowe, a stay at home dad who has been a vocal critic.
In House District 93, Republicans Nate Schatzline and former Southlake Mayor Laura Hill are headed into a runoff, with Schatzline — who has ties to Mercy Culture Church — running on social issues like banning the teaching of critical race theory.
“I also think Republicans in Tarrant County are ready to make a statement very clearly that we are ready to make a stand and we want to keep Tarrant County red,” Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Rick Barnes told the Star-Telegram.
How did candidates for governor fare?
Statewide, Abbott was able to easily advance into a runoff in a race in which he faced multiple challengers from the race. He faces Democrat Beto O’Rourke in November.
The governor fared well in Tarrant County, winning 64.77% of the votes. O’Rourke received 93.77% of votes. Appearing in Fort Worth on election night, O’Rourke stressed the county’s key role this election cycle.
“Tarrant County will in this election, likewise, be a major source of strength for down ballot races and making sure that we have enough votes to win the big one and become the first Democrat since 1994 to win a statewide election in Texas,” O’Rourke said.
But Abbott’s campaign on Wednesday pushed back against the idea the county would shift blue. O’Rourke narrowly won Tarrant in 2018 in his race against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and President Joe Biden won the county in 2020, but the county has historically been red.
During a call with reporters, Dave Carney, a strategist for Abbott, called Tarrant County one of the top battleground counties in the state.
“We will erase on the whiteboard all of the thoughts that Tarrant County is changing, it’s no longer a Republican County,” he said.
He added that Abbott’s team plans to run a “massive campaign” in Tarrant County.
Tarrant County remains Republican leaning, Riddlesperger said. If O’Rourke wins here, he hopes he can gain traction elsewhere in the state, Riddlesperger said.
“It would take something unusual for Democrats to be successful in the fall elections, but could that happen? Of course it could happen,” he said. “Stranger things have happened in American politics.”
Jillson pointed to the governor’s race as an instance where challenging an incumbent from the right didn’t pan out.
“Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.
How many people voted and what does Tuesday mean for November?
There were 131,182 ballots cast in the Republican Primary in Tarrant County and 74,121 in the Democratic Primary, according to figures from the election office. More mail in ballots are likely be added in the coming days — 16.84% of registered voters.
There were 102,910 people who voted early in person in Tarrant County, according to the county elections office — 67,570 Republicans and 35,340 Democrats. Through Monday, the county reported 5,284 ballots cast by mail in the Democratic primary and 4,585 in the Republican.
The last gubernatorial election in 2018 saw nearly 17% turnout.
Turnout in Tarrant County was generally higher in Tarrant County’s outskirts than it’s central core. While Price won much of the Fort Worth area and the county’s center portions, O’Hare lead outside the city.
Riddlesperger described the turnout as “abysmal.” Low turnout in primaries is common in the state.
“The level for enthusiasm this year for elections is quite low, just across the board,” he said. “I think that there’s election fatigue, frankly, in the United States, because we’ve had so many, so high profile, so conflictual elections over the last several years, that there are a lot of votes that simply aren’t excepted about the prospect of voting and are, kind of, alienated from the entirety of the polarized political system.”
Low turnout can lead to candidates in the fall on both sides of the aisle who are more conservative or more liberal than the average voter, Riddlesperger said.
“That’s always been the case, but in the polarized climate that we find ourselves now, it’s become even more the case...” he said.
That can lead to policy consequences down the line.
“When we see more and more of a disconnect between the people who we elect to public office and where people actually are on the issues that matter to them most, then that is not healthy for democracy and not healthy for governing.”
He cautioned predicting what will happen in November.
“We have to be very careful about talking about what’s going to happen in November from the perspective of March,” Riddlesperger said.
Staff Writers Abby Church and James Hartley contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 7:36 AM.
