Republican Phil Sorrells declares victory in Tarrant County District Attorney race
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Results from Tarrant County and Texas elections
The latest coverage and results from Tarrant County and Texas.
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Republican Phil Sorrells declared victory in the race for Tarrant County district attorney with 53% of the vote with 292 of 316 vote centers reporting.
Sorrells, self-described as a conservative Republican, has been a Tarrant County judge in misdemeanor courts for 25 years. His campaign has touted his “tough on crime” platform, including a promise to “aggressively prosecute criminal conduct by illegal aliens” and monitor bond amounts for violent criminals.
His campaign called the race at 11:20 p.m. He finished with 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results. He faced Democrat Tiffany Burks, who has been a prosecuting attorney for 24 years, first as the assistant DA in Fort Bend County and then as the felony court chief and the deputy chief over the office’s criminal division in Tarrant County.
As Tuesday’s Republican watch party near downtown Fort Worth came to a close shortly after 11 p.m., Sorrells said he believes his promise to make public safety his No. 1 priority resonated with Tarrant County voters.
“They want to make sure we keep the community safe, and keep violent offenders off our streets,” he said. “And as the chief law enforcement officer in the county, that’s going to be my goal.”
On the subject of supporting law enforcement, Sorrells has said he will stand against calls to “defund the police” and pursue maximum jail time for criminals.
Sorrells’ said one of his top priorities as DA will be tackling the case backlog at the DA’s office. COVID caused cases to back up across the country, including in Tarrant County.
“We have a large number of cases that are just pending and we’ve got to get them moving,” he said.
He said to address the backlog, he would have visiting judges come to Tarrant County and increase the number of courts having trials.
He also wants to put more experience back into the DA’s office and better evaluate cases that need to go to trial. During Sharen Wilson’s tenure, a large number of prosecutors left the office. Sorrells said he plans to look at those prosecutors’ exit interviews or talk to them directly to find out what drove them to leave.
When asked about what voters seem concerned about, Sorrells said many people are worried about violent crime. Speaking about people being released on bond, Sorrells said he wants to make sure “the safety of the community is the priority” and bonds are not set too low.
“That’s why we want to get in there and make sure that number one, the victim gets justice,” he said. “And criminals face the consequences of their actions.”
Sharen Wilson, who has been the DA since 2015, endorsed Sorrells, saying she believes he will effectively tackle Tarrant County’s case backlog. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry also endorsed Sorrells.
At the Turkey Den restaurant in Fort Worth, supporters of various Democratic candidates talked and cheered beneath blue balloons and TVs displaying national elections results. Burks’ family sat at a large table in the center and said they felt optimistic about the early voting results.
Throughout the day, Burks said she visited voters at polling centers and saw good energy. Throughout her campaign, she said she had meaningful conversations with Democratic and Republican voters alike.
“I think my message of ‘politics over people’ resonated with a lot of people,” she said. “And I think I got a lot of crossover votes.”
Burks — with her slogan of “people over politics” — focused on policies that humanize defendants and victims alike. Her platform included diversion programs “that give people an opportunity to turn their lives around” and a promise to keep communities safe “without over-prosecuting or over-policing.”
Through her conversations with voters, she said people seem concerned about a multitude of issues, including transparency within the DA’s office, violent crime and issues at the juvenile justice centers. Burks has encouraged community policing and de-escalation training, and promised to “hold those who violate our laws accountable.”
If elected, she planned to tackle the backlog of cases in the Tarrant County court system caused by the pandemic.
“Essentially we have to do an inventory of what we have,” she said. “And there are some cases in the DA’s office that are very old that we need to try and find ways to move through the system quickly. We have cases that are not so old but still to be triaged and moved.”
Burks has been endorsed by Republican and Democratic leaders, including former Republican Judge Louis Sturns and retired District Judge L. Clifford Davis.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 7:04 PM.
