Here’s what may have swayed the Republican race for Tarrant DA — and it wasn’t Trump

It was unfortunate that outgoing Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson decided recently to criticize and call out by name judges and magistrates whose bail decisions displeased her.

After she issued two such unusual statements, some attorneys freely expressed perfectly valid concerns about the chilling effect it might produce in some courtrooms.

But even more unfortunate than Wilson’s act itself was the timing — the weekend before the primary elections to nominate candidates to replace her.

And the misfortune was mostly for candidate Mollee Westfall, whose tough-on-crime reputation was reminiscent of Wilson’s own and could easily have fed the perception that she was going to operate the same way.

Westfall, a longtime judge who had racked up a sizable list of high-profile endorsements, surprisingly ended up third in the Republican primary for district attorney, just missing the runoff.

Interestingly, she would have edged out opponent Matt Krause (albeit narrowly) based on early voting totals alone. Early voting ended Feb. 25, the same day as the first of Wilson’s statements which quickly prompted members of the legal community to begin voicing their worries to the media.

Bad timing, indeed.

In fairness to Wilson, becoming the county’s first female district attorney was no small feat.

Women of her generation have famously said that being a woman in a field dominated by men means they need to be tougher than the toughest man out there.

And no one would disagree: Wilson is one of the toughest.

In an era when people are increasingly worried about crime and safety, Wilson’s hard edge has been a large part of her appeal.

Her office has won national accolades for programs aimed at educating youth and streamlining abuse cases. But it’s also had a mass exodus of experienced staff and suffered chronic poor morale and staff shortages on account of a management style that many found untenable.

The loss of so many seasoned prosecutors in so short a time was alarming. Being tough on crime is good, but it’s obviously harder to do without adequate staff.

The surprising failure last year of a bond package to build a new criminal justice center may not have been a direct rebuke of Wilson — Tarrant County voters were not overly eager about any of the proposed county or school bond packages that cycle, except upgrading roads — but it hints at some public dissatisfaction with her office and perhaps a desire for change, at least in leadership style.

Westfall, who is manifestly qualified to be the district attorney, might have brought that necessary change in tenor to the office.

In its endorsement of her, the Star-Telegram Editorial Board credited her for her courtroom efficiency, her approach to dealing with the backlog of cases caused by the pandemic, and her ability to balance toughness with sensible crime prevention programs.

But her campaign theme of being a tough former judge may have evoked memories of Wilson. When Wilson, herself a longtime judge with a stern reputation, first ran for DA in 2014, the Editorial Board endorsed her but expressed concerns about her temperament.

Fair or not, a strong female figure can sometimes be her own worst enemy.

Still, it would be easy, but also incorrect, to chalk up Westfall’s loss wholly to sexism.

Fort Worth has no problems electing strong female leaders into positions of authority — think Rep. Kay Granger, mayors Betsy Price and Mattie Parker, not to mention Wilson herself.

And it would also be an oversimplification to attribute Westfall’s loss solely to the late endorsement of opponent Phil Sorrells by former President Donald Trump.

There is no doubt that Trump’s support still has an outsize influence on some voters, mostly in statewide races. But even with Trump’s nod, Sorrells faces a runoff against Krause.

It’s worth remembering, too, that Trump didn’t win Tarrant County last election cycle, meaning that his support has no effect or is even a deterrent for a sizable group of Republican voters.

While it’s easiest to make everything in elections about the Trump endorsement, for most local races, there are often far more complicated factors playing out, and events that trigger them, sometimes just days before the election.

In retrospect, Westfall might have benefited from casting herself in sharper contrast to her would-be predecessor, especially just before the election.

That’s a more complete explanation of what happened in the race for district attorney.

This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 5:07 AM.