Trump jumps into Tarrant judge race with O’Hare endorsement, but why should it matter?
Former President Donald Trump apparently has an opinion about who should lead policy on our county hospital system, road construction and emergency orders.
Trump was in Dallas on Sunday for a couple of gatherings but didn’t come to Fort Worth, as far as we know. He did inject himself, though, into the Republican primary for county judge, backing Southlake activist Tim O’Hare in his race against former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and three lesser-known competitors.
O’Hare was no doubt thrilled. Trump can do whatever he likes (and has shown he will). Voters can weigh whatever factors they choose.
But it’s not useful for presidents and other national figures to dip into such local races. While it’s a partisan contest, the decision of who administers county policy should be based on what we need here, not the tired, broad issues that define national politics.
It’s pretty clear that Trump, or whichever staffer handled the endorsement, has little grasp of what the county judge does. The former president, with his flair for 18th-century capitalization, declared in a written statement that O’Hare “strong on Crime, the Borders, our Second Amendment, and loves our Great Military and Vets.”
Not a lot of county judge duties there.
The mask may have slipped even further when Trump declared that O’Hare will “always be fair.” Perhaps so, but that’s a quality you’d tout more for a courtroom judge. The county position is largely an executive one, though the title confuses many.
(An aside: Trump’s statements always declare his backing to be a “Complete and Total Endorsement.” Are there incomplete and less-than-total endorsements?)
All that said, O’Hare is probably the Trumpier candidate, even though Price was one of the few big-city mayors to appear frequently at White House events with Trump. The endorsement will help O’Hare drive his message that Price is too moderate for the job.
And it could tip a few voters who don’t otherwise have a strong feeling for the candidates. It’s just too bad they, like the former president, can’t base their vote on what the job actually requires.
Editor’s note: A version of this column originally appeared in our opinion newsletter, Worth Discussion. It’s delivered every Wednesday with a fresh take on the news and a roundup of our best editorials, columns and other opinion content. Sign up here.
