Editor’s note: This story will be updated with the latest election results after polls close at 7 p.m.
Tarrant County voters on Tuesday will choose party nominations to face off in the race for the freshly redrawn Precinct 2 on the commissioners court.
Two Republicans and three Democrats are seeking the seat left open by County Commissioner Alisa Simmons as she runs for the countywide judge seat on the court. The March 3 primaries determine which Republican and which Democrat will face off in each race of the November general election.
On the Republican primary ballot is Lucila Seri, 42, a precinct chair for the local GOP, and Tony Tinderholt, 55, who represented much of Arlington and Fort Worth for 12 years in the Texas House.
The Democratic ballot features Amanda Arizola, 45, cofounder of the nonprofit CoACT North Texas; Gabe Rivas, 37, a county staffer who works under Simmons; and Jared Williams, 36, who last year stepped down from the Fort Worth City Council after four years of representing the southwest part of the city and the historically Black neighborhood of Como.
Get to know the candidates
The Fort Worth Report asked all candidates to respond to a questionnaire intended to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box. Candidate responses are available here:
This is the first election since the GOP-majority of the commissioners court redrew precinct boundaries last summer. The court’s Republicans — County Judge Tim O’Hare and commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez — said they intended to make Precinct 2 more favorable for GOP candidates to strengthen their party’s control. Democrats criticized the mid-decade process as an attempt at racial gerrymandering.
Based on 2020 census data, the new commissioners court map reshaped the makeup of the two Democratic-held precincts, pushing many of Precinct 2’s voters of color west from the Arlington-Mansfield area into Precinct 1.
Precinct 2, Democratic-held since 2018, now encompasses parts of Arlington and Mansfield, plus Rendon and pieces of Crowley, Benbrook, Edgecliff Village and the southern tip of Fort Worth.
Tinderholt threw his hat into the Precinct 2 race less than 24 hours after the new map was adopted and quickly gained endorsements from elected GOP officials at the county, state and federal levels. He supported the redistricting effort last summer, saying Tarrant should be represented by Republicans after President Donald Trump won the county by 52% in 2024.
Seri was one of the few Republicans to publicly oppose the county’s redistricting. An immigrant from Argentina who describes herself as a “constitutional conservative,” she said she wants to reduce the partisan nature of the commissioners court.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court sets the county’s annual budget and tax rate, manages local elections and maintains public infrastructure. It operates similarly to a city council.
Although Precinct 2 was redrawn to give Republicans an edge, the Democrats on the ballot maintain it’s still winnable — particularly as their primary saw record turnout during early voting.
In January, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a landslide victory in the historically red Texas Senate District 9 that encompasses north Tarrant County. Political observers noted the upset win could drive turnout in the primaries.
Simmons endorsed Williams as her chosen successor. He’s running to “preserve our representation” in Precinct 2, Williams said, after residents unsuccessfully challenged the adopted map in now-dismissed lawsuits. While on City Council, Williams championed raising the minimum wage for city employees to $18 per hour.
Rivas said his experience working in the county and living in Arlington his entire life gives him an edge over his opponents.
Arizola said her experience on the JPS Health Network board of managers gave her knowledge and expertise about managing “big budgets” and fighting for results. She said she wants to maintain Precinct 2 as a woman-held seat.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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