Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare has served as Tarrant County Judge since 2023, and will face Democrat Alisa Simmons, who currently serves as the county commissioner for Southeast Tarrant County, during the general election on Nov. 3.
As Tarrant County continues to grow—it has more than 2.2 million people and is the third-most populous county in Texas—it’s also become a swing county in the state.
What is a county judge?
The county judge is elected to a four-year term, and the role is similar to a mayor, acting as the county’s chief political executive. The role presides over commissioners court, overseeing critical county operations and budgets.
The county judge is also responsible for leading emergency management. When an emergency is declared, the judge is responsible for coordinating local, county, state and federal resources. They can also declare a local emergency for a period of seven days.
Other important responsibilities include issuing things like liquor licenses, adopting the county budget, and setting the county tax.
Who are the candidates?
O’Hare is running for reelection to a second term. During the March primaries, he received almost 88% of the vote (116,746), while Robert Buker received 12% of the vote (12,527).
He’s a self-described MAGA Republican who made headlines after championing controversial redistricting plans of county commissioner boundaries that shifted the court to a 3-1 Republican majority in 2025.
He spent his tenure pushing heavily for robust law enforcement funding. O’Hare also changed the commissioners court meetings through strict meeting decorum rules, new policies for commissioners over the topics for briefings, and cutting meetings from twice a month to just once.
Simmons, a Democrat and community activist, became the third Black woman elected to serve as a commissioner, serving Precinct 2 in Tarrant County in 2022. During the primaries, she received almost 62% of the vote (105,177), US Rep. Marc Veasey received 26% (44,809), and Millenium Anton Woods, Jr. received 12% (21,453).
She previously led the Arlington NAACP for more than a decade, mobilizing communities to push back against voter suppression.
She has said she is running for county judge because she believes the current court is too focused on partisan fighting, and was inspired to run after the county’s commissioners court redistricting.
Her priorities as county judge would include fiscal stability, mental and behavioral health, and accountability over jail operations and deaths from the sheriff’s office.
Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19 and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.
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