Alisa Simmons Claims Victory in Tarrant County Judge Race
Simmons told supporters at an election-night gathering in Arlington that O’Hare had called to congratulate her. With results still coming in, she said it appeared Tarrant County had flipped to Democratic control. As of 9:20 p.m., she had 58% of counted votes, compared with O’Hare’s 42%, according to the reported tally.
The county judge leads the Commissioners Court, which oversees county matters including taxes, roads, bridges and elections. O’Hare, who took office in 2023, drew criticism over the court’s decision to remove nearly 100 polling locations for the election. Simmons opposed the change in a 3-2 vote along party lines.
O’Hare also led efforts to redraw commissioners court districts in 2025, aiming to create a 4-1 Republican advantage. Simmons said the changes discriminated against Black and Latino voters. During his tenure, O’Hare also became a prominent opponent of programs promoting diversity, fairness and inclusion at schools and nonprofit organizations.
Simmons has served as a Tarrant County commissioner since 2022 and previously led the Arlington NAACP. The county’s last Democratic judge left office in 1986. Final results were not available in the reports, but Simmons’s win could point to changing voting patterns in the county, long considered a major Republican stronghold.
Tarrant County Rejects O’Hare After Polling Cuts and Culture-War Battles
Tarrant County voters appeared to turn away from incumbent Republican Tim O’Hare, whose tenure placed him at the center of battles over polling access, district maps and diversity initiatives. Democrat Alisa Simmons declared victory on November 3 after O’Hare called to congratulate her, with counted votes showing her ahead 58% to 42% as of 9:20 p.m.
The polling-site fight was a defining local test of election administration. The Commissioners Court voted 3-2 along party lines to eliminate nearly 100 locations, and Simmons voted against the change. O’Hare’s role overseeing county elections made the decision part of his record, not a distant political dispute.
O’Hare also backed a 2025 redistricting effort intended to produce a 4-1 Republican advantage. Simmons said the map discriminated against Black and Latino voters. His public opposition to programs promoting diversity, fairness and inclusion at schools and nonprofit organizations further made the office a platform for culture-war politics.
Simmons, a county commissioner since 2022 and former Arlington NAACP leader, could become the county’s first Democratic judge since 1986. The tally was still being counted, but the result offered a stark rebuke to O’Hare’s approach to county power and elections.
O’Hare Loses Tarrant County Race as Democrats Claim Local Breakthrough
Democrats claimed a major local breakthrough in Tarrant County, where Alisa Simmons declared victory over Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare on November 3. O’Hare called to congratulate her, and the reported count at 9:20 p.m. showed Simmons leading 58% to 42%, with votes still being tallied.
The result puts a county office with authority over taxes, roads, bridges and elections in Democratic hands for the first time since the last Democratic judge left in 1986. It also follows a period in which O’Hare used the role to challenge diversity, fairness and inclusion programs and pursue a redrawing of commissioners court districts aimed at a 4-1 Republican advantage.
Simmons opposed the 2025 map effort, saying it discriminated against Black and Latino voters. She also voted against the court’s decision to eliminate nearly 100 polling locations, a measure approved 3-2 along party lines. Those disputes gave voters a clear contrast over the direction of county government.
O’Hare’s loss may signal changing political patterns in a county long regarded as a Republican stronghold. Simmons, a commissioner since 2022 and former Arlington NAACP leader, now stands to lead the court as the remaining results are counted.
Reported by The Texas Tribune, Dallas Observer, FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.
