Democrat Commissioner Alisa Simmons and Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare are opponents in the race for Tarrant County judge. Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives

Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare and Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons face off Nov. 3 for the top office in Tarrant County after years of clashes on the Commissioners Court. The race could signal whether the largest red urban county in Texas is shifting blue.

Here are key takeaways:

O’Hare won the Republican primary with 87.6% of 133,273 votes while Simmons captured 61.4% of her Democratic primary, setting up the November matchup for county judge.The two have traded jabs for four years on the Commissioners Court, with Simmons once giving O’Hare the middle finger after he interrupted her to call a closed session.The Nov. 3 ballot in Tarrant County features contested races from U.S. Senate down to county commissioner, with early voting running Oct. 19-30.Through July, O’Hare held a cash advantage of $707,000 to Simmons’s $67,000, with his campaign pulling $135,000 from oil and gas companies alone.U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz headlined O’Hare’s fall campaign kickoff in Grapevine, warning that threats to Texas have never been greater and urging straight-ticket Republican voting.The Commissioners Court approved a plan leaving 93 fewer polling sites than the 2022 midterm, with O’Hare saying each Election Day location costs about $4,500 and Simmons opposing any reduction.A Quorum Report poll of 600 likely Senate District 9 voters showed Democrats leading key races including Tarrant County judge, prompting both candidates to issue urgent fundraising pleas.Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Allison Campolo said O’Hare “has driven so many people into the arms of the Democratic Party, I should send him a gift basket.”October finance reports showed O’Hare received $100,000 from Texans United for a Conservative Majority, a PAC backed by West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, while Simmons drew donations from 38 states led by California and New York.Simmons announced her bid in December 2025, pointing to her record opposing mid-decade redistricting and the shuttering of the county’s Human Services department.U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth briefly entered the Democratic primary before withdrawing a week later to stay focused on Congressional District 33.

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The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.