Here’s our recommendation for Democrats’ best shot at electing a Tarrant County judge
For a big administrative job such as county judge, business experience helps.
That makes for a clear choice in the Tarrant County Democratic primary. Former county party chairwoman Deborah Peoples has a long resume of executive work. She’s a smart, dynamic leader who could excel as county judge as long as she followed her business instincts more than her partisan ones.
Peoples, 69, of Fort Worth had a long career at AT&T, retiring as a vice president. She is smartly focusing her campaign around the need for a leader who can draw in corporate investments and relocations.
She’s also been an activist on equality issues and served eight years as the county Democratic leader. Peoples ran for mayor twice, falling short against Betsy Price in 2019 and Mattie Parker in 2021.
Her opponent, former Arlington City Council member Marvin Sutton, built a solid record in that post. He’s been a dedicated party activist, too. But Sutton, 59, can’t match Peoples’ preparation for the job or her broader political visibility in more of the county.
In our joint interview with the candidates, Sutton raised the issue of the local party’s failures to win down-ballot countywide races during Peoples’ tenure as chairwoman. It’s a fair criticism, especially when the party pulled off county victories at the top of the ticket in 2018 and 2020. Peoples will have to convince Democratic voters that she left the party better than she found it.
If she can do that and still prove she’s not in the county judge race solely to advance partisan priorities, she’ll be competitive in the fall general election. The overall political environment in 2022 is expected to be much better for Republicans, and winning countywide in Tarrant will be difficult.
But Peoples would present the party’s best shot at an upset.
Election Day, March 1, is preceded by two weeks of early voting, starting Monday. The winner will advance to face one of five Republicans in the general election, with the winner there replacing County Judge Glen Whitley next year.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHey, who is behind these endorsements?
Members of the Editorial Board, which serves as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s institutional voice, decide candidates and positions to recommend to voters. The members of the board are: Cynthia M. Allen, columnist; Steve Coffman, editor and president; Bud Kennedy, columnist; Ryan J. Rusak, opinion editor; and Nicole Russell, opinion writer.
Members of our Community Advisory Board may also participate in candidate interviews and offer their views, but they do not vote on which candidate to recommend.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
How does the process work?
The Editorial Board interviews candidates, asking about positions on issues, experience and qualifications, and how they would approach holding the office for which they are running. Board members do additional research on candidates’ backgrounds and the issues at hand. After that, members discuss the candidates and generally aim to arrive at a consensus, though not necessarily unanimity. All members contribute observations and ideas, so the resulting editorials represent the board’s view, not a particular writer.
How do partisanship and ideology factor in?
We’re not tied to one party or the other, and our positions on issues range across the ideological spectrum. We tend to prefer candidates who align with our previously stated positions, but qualifications, temperament and experience are important, too.
This story was originally published February 13, 2022 at 5:06 AM.