Fort Worth Democrat Deborah Peoples joins race for Tarrant County judge
Tarrant County has gone 28 years without electing a Democrat countywide.
So far, the 2022 math doesn’t look any different.
But the party’s longshot odds are slightly shorter now. Former mayoral candidate Deborah Peoples of Fort Worth has officially entered the race for county judge, joining fellow candidate Marvin Sutton of Arlington.
Both will stir energy for a party left flat by local defeats in 2020 and the high-gear bulldozer of redistricting.
“Tarrant County is changing, and I believe we have a good shot at winning,” Peoples said Friday, announcing that she would officially file to run this weekend.
A week remains before the Dec. 13 deadline to sign up for the March 1 primaries.
“The county judge sets the tone for leadership, and with so many critical decisions ahead at the courthouse and at JPS [the county hospital], I think there is a lot to address,” she said.
In June, Peoples raised more than $800,000 and finished with 46% of the vote in a runoff loss to Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker.
“She’s a big name,” county Democratic chair Allison Campolo said.
Sutton has already been campaigning for county judge. He gave up his council seat to run for mayor in June but finished third with 15% of the vote, far behind Mayor Jim Ross.
Former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Southlake lawyer Tim O’Hare are among Republicans competing for that party’s nomination for the job left open by retiring County Judge Glen Whitley of Hurst.
(Technically, the “judge” only gavels commissioners court meetings. He or she is not a courtroom judge.)
Peoples and Sutton are “both amazing candidates — they’ve run for mayor and served their city,” Campolo said. “I’m really thrilled to see folks with so much experience running for office.”
Sutton said the Democratic primary race against Peoples will be “issue-focused.”
“I’m a problem-solver,” he said. “The race will be about improving the quality of life for the people of Tarrant County.”
So far, Texas Democrats have only one big name on their statewide ticket: El Paso Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who is running for governor.
He’s drawing his usual crowds on what amounts to a Beto Reunion Tour, including a scheduled stop in Fort Worth on Friday.
But beneath O’Rourke, Democrats have almost nobody else running with much money.
“The Democrats’ weakness at the county level is always resources,” said party strategist Matt Angle of the Washington-based Lone Star Project.
“Democrats have just never had sufficient resources to compete.”
Locally, Democrats have yet to fill many of the blanks on the 2022 party ticket.
State Sen. Beverly Powell of Fort Worth is still on the sideline, hoping for a favorable court ruling that might help her keep her seat after redistricting left the district much more likely to vote Republican.
Right now, Peoples is the best-known Fort Worth candidate on an Arlington-heavy ticket that also features district attorney candidate Tiffany Burks and county commissioner candidate Ruby Faye Woolridge. At least one more candidate is expected for the commissioner’s seat being vacated by Arlington Democrat Devan Allen.
Fort Worth Democrat Albert John Roberts is also running for the party’s nomination for district attorney. He was the nominee in 2018 against incumbent Fort Worth Republican Sharen Wilson and drew 47% of the vote.
“The spotlight’s on Arlington right now,” Sutton said.
North Arlington and adjacent Euless are also where Democrats plan to pick up a redrawn Texas House District 92 seat. Three candidates have filed in that race.
Campolo said Tarrant County Democrats are looking for strong candidates for district clerk and county clerk against Republican incumbents Tom Wilder and Mary Louise Nicholson.
“What we hear at the door from voters is that local politics is what’s important. That’s what we’re going to focus on.”
That would make 2022 interesting in Tarrant County.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 3:06 PM.
