Democrat claims victory over Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare in key battleground

Democrat Alisa Simmons declared victory over incumbent Republican Tim O’Hare in the race for Tarrant County’s top executive job — a closely watched race in a key political battleground.

Simmons — who was leading by 15 points in early voting with results still being counted — told supporters at an event in Arlington that O’Hare called to congratulate on her victory.

Since taking office in 2023, O’Hare has used the position of county judge to lead numerous culture war battles, including highly public efforts to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools and nonprofits. O’Hare also led the charge to redraw commissioners court districts in 2025 in hopes of creating a 4-1 Republican advantage by boosting GOP voters in Simmons’ district, a move Simmons said discriminated against Black and Latino voters. 

The last Democrat to serve as county judge was Mike Moncrief, who left office in 1986.

Prior to serving as the chief executive of Tarrant County, O’Hare was the mayor of Farmers Branch and later served as chair of the Tarrant County GOP. He defeated Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in the 2022 Republican primary, whom he painted as a RINO or “Republican in Name Only.”

Simmons and O’Hare frequently clashed at commissioners court meetings. O’Hare told Simmons to “sit there and be quiet” when she objected to the hiring of a government contractor at an April 2024 meeting.

Simmons led the Arlington NAACP before joining the court in 2022.