Longtime Dallas County Clerk John Warren has withdrawn his bid to run for a sixth term, opening up the seat for a contested Democratic primary.
Warren, who first took office in 2007, was one of the first candidates to announce his reelection when the filing period for the March 3 primary opened last month. He withdrew his name on Monday, and two Democrats promptly filed paperwork to run the county office that serves as custodian of records.
Warren said he is proud of the technical and operational advancements his office has made over nearly 20 years, but he intends to work as a courts and technology consultant after his term expires in December 2026 in order to impact processes statewide.
“That is where my passion is right now, to create those courts for tomorrow, not just today,” Warren said.
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The county clerk’s race is one of several county offices with a contested Democratic primary as the period for filing for the ballot closed on Monday. The Dallas County Republican Party will not publish its list of candidates until later this week in order to confirm all paperwork is accurate, according to executive director Dee Holley.
Damarcus L. Offord, senior manager of state relations for DART, and Ann Marie Cruz, a nearly four-decade county employee, both filed to run for county clerk on Monday in the Democratic primary.
Warren endorsed Offord to be his successor, saying his experience at all levels of government and private sector will serve residents well.
Offord worked for former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson for three terms, most recently as director of outreach, and said “public service is my calling.”
“I’ve dedicated my career to making government accessible, accountable and responsive,” Offord said.
Cruz began her career with the county clerk’s office in 1986 and became a court coordinator in 2007. She challenged Warren in the Democratic primary in 2022 but lost the runoff with 41% of the vote.
Cruz said she plans to implement changes to the office to prevent delays in releasing people from jail and improve cooperation with employees and judges.
“The Dallas County Clerk’s Office is going to be efficient and a great place to work,” Cruz said.
In other races, County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins faces no challenger for the Democratic primary. Mike Immler, a retired Air Force attorney, confirmed he filed paperwork last week to run for county judge in the Republican primary.
The only Dallas County Commissioners race with a contested Democratic primary is District 4, where Commissioner Elba Garcia is seeking a fifth term. Psychologist and evangelical preacher Pedra Geter filed Monday to challenge Garcia.
County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman, District Clerk Felicia Pitre and County Treasurer Pauline Medrano face no Democratic challengers in their bids for reelection. However, retired engineer Dave Muehlhaeusler filed to run as district clerk in the Republican primary, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
Blake W. Clemens also filed in the Republican primary to run for Sommerman’s county commission district 2 seat, according to the state’s filings.
Last week, District Judge Amber Givens announced she would resign from presiding over the 282nd district to challenge District Attorney John Creuzot in the Democratic primary.
Precinct 2 Constable Deanna Hammond is the only constable without a Democratic primary challenger. All four other incumbent constables face Democratic challengers.