鈥� or at least they used to be.
Donald Trump isn鈥檛 on the Tarrant County primary ballot, but as national politics invade local elections, his opinion could influence key county positions. Out of 33 endorsements President Trump made in Texas races, two are local candidates 鈥� for county judge and for district attorney of Tarrant County.
Trump鈥檚 endorsement may have less to do with policy and more to do with the race itself, said , a fellow in political science at Rice University鈥檚 Baker Institute. Regardless, the success of Trump鈥檚 endorsement of Tarrant County candidates could be a bellwether for increasingly partisan local government campaigns in the future.
鈥淭he commissioners court begins to mirror the Texas Legislature, which has begun to mirror the US House 鈥� it鈥檚 increasingly polarized,鈥� Jones said.
The trend has extended to other large counties, Jones said. In , where a more liberal county government dominates, discussions about the commissioners court are focused on partisanship rather than bread-and-butter local policy.
Trump鈥檚 endorsement is a part of that trend, said , a professor of government at Tarrant County College.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a new phenomenon,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we are involved at the local level, that鈥檚 where our investment is, what happens on the ground in our neighborhood. But now we are asked to align ourselves with views that have nothing to do with the local level.鈥�
鈥淚 would also say there鈥檚 no such thing as a nonpartisan race anymore,鈥� O鈥橦are said. 鈥淲ould it be nice in many respects if everyone鈥檚 ideas were similar and everyone loved America? Or course it would 鈥� But that鈥檚 not where we are.鈥�
But , the Democratic candidate for county judge, said Tarrant County voters don鈥檛 want hyper-partisanship in local election. When she ran for Fort Worth mayor, Peoples received high-profile endorsements from national political figures like and .
鈥淥ne of the things that make us unique is that Tarrant County has worked very hard not to get caught up in all the divisiveness,鈥� Peoples said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 a lesson that I鈥檝e had to learn.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 endorsement is synonymous with divisiveness, Peoples argues, which will turn more moderate voters off in the general election. More importantly, though, partisanship has no place setting the agenda for the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, Peoples said.
鈥淧artisanship can鈥檛 play a role in governance because we鈥檙e about a 50/50 county鈥� You have to create opportunities for 100% of the residents, and that means you can鈥檛 do partisanship,鈥� Peoples said.
How to secure a Trump endorsement
President Trump first endorsed a local candidate in 2021, when he supported , for mayor in , a city northwest of Miami. Bovo won the nonpartisan mayoral race.
Bovo is the first local candidate to be endorsed by Trump, Vito Fossella, a candidate for Staten Island borough president, was second, O鈥橦are and Sorrells are the third and fourth. The language of Trump鈥檚 endorsements is similar, but Trump鈥檚 singling out of these four candidates likely had less to do with issues, Jones said, and more to do with who has the president鈥檚 ear.
O鈥橦are isn鈥檛 sure why Trump chose to endorse candidates in Tarrant County. Republican leaders reached out to Trump on O鈥橦are鈥檚 behalf, he said, urging the former president to endorse in a race that is key to Texas鈥� political future, O鈥橦are said.
That is how endorsements typically happen, Jones explained. The profile of the race also matters, Tarrant County and Hialeah are just large enough to warrant the president鈥檚 attention.
鈥淚t would be strange for him to intervene in say, Rockwall County or any of the smaller counties,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淎t the same time, I think he wants to go into a place where the person he endorses has a good, if not great, chance of winning in November.鈥�
Tarrant, Texas鈥� third-largest county, is not the slam dunk Republican seat it used to be, Rovelo said. As demographics change, the county is the bluest it has been in decades.
鈥淭hat makes it more important that Tarrant stays conservative because if Tarrant keeps going in that (Democratic) direction, that will have tremendous implications for the Republican agenda in the very near future,鈥� Rovelo said.
Donald Trump鈥檚 representatives did not respond to requests for comments about his decision to endorse Tarrant County candidates.
County judge race
After winning in the primary and avoiding a, O鈥橦are partially attributed the success of his campaign to Trump鈥檚 endorsement.
鈥淚 told President Trump, 鈥楽ir, if you endorse me, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檒l be a runoff,鈥欌�� O鈥橦are said to the crowd and received big applause. The Trump endorsement, while positive, does not define his campaign.
鈥淚鈥檓 my own man, I make decisions that I think are best and I have a broad base of support,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
O鈥橦are will reach out to all voters as he continues his campaign in the general election, he said. Trump remains very popular among Republican voters in Tarrant County. Trump is viewed . He thinks the endorsement will remain an advantage going into the General Election.
鈥淲e still need Republicans to get out and vote鈥� I think what Democrats should focus on is鈥� Do they want good common sense government? and I think the answer is absolutely,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
Trump is viewed unfavorably by . Peoples argues that puts her at an advantage.
鈥淚鈥檓 focused on reaching out to all the citizens of Tarrant County, not just some citizens in Tarrant County,鈥� Peoples said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of leader they want, not somebody who鈥檚 listening to a resident of Mar-a-Lago.鈥�
O鈥橦are won by a fairly large margin in the primary, which Jones attributes to Trump鈥檚 endorsement. Price had higher name identification than O鈥橦are going into the race, but O鈥橦are also reaped the benefits of circumstances outside of Trump鈥檚 endorsement.
鈥淭he Trump endorsement reinforced O鈥橦are鈥檚 message that he was the true conservative in the race and that Betsy Price was not,鈥� Jones said.
District attorney
The race for district attorney has a different dynamic entirely, Jones said. Based on record in the state Legislature, it would be difficult for the Trump-endorsed Sorrells to paint his opponent as anything but a true conservative. That鈥檚 why he isn鈥檛 campaigning on who is more conservative, Sorrells said.
鈥淲e agree on almost every issue鈥� the biggest difference is that I have experience in the courthouse and he doesn鈥檛,鈥� Sorrells said.
Legislative and leadership experience are more important than trial experience, Krause argues.
鈥淢y experience and my skill set actually equip me better for the current needs and demands of the district attorney position than somebody who鈥檚 been a judge or a former prosecutor,鈥� Krause said.
Trump issued his endorsement for Sorrells a week and a half before Election Day. His campaign will be able to better leverage the endorsement in the lead-up to the runoff, Sorrells said.
鈥淚 think it will have a positive impact on voters. He is very liked and respected,鈥� Sorrells said.
Krause also boasts an endorsement from a national political figure, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican. Cruz is viewed favorably by 81% of Republicans in Texas, which evens the score when it comes to national endorsements, Krause argues.
鈥淲e also have as well, which I think is kind of a wild card in this race, because nobody works more closely with the district attorney than the sheriff鈥檚 office,鈥� Krause said.
An endorsement from Trump may not have the same positive impact on voters in the General Election, Jones said.
鈥淏ut without Trump鈥檚 endorsement, getting to November would have been much more difficult, if not impossible,鈥� he added.
Sorrells is focused squarely on the runoff election with Krause, he said. Their Democratic opponent, Tiffany Burks, faced Albert Roberts and Larry Meyers in her primary race. Roberts was well-funded by a nationally backed political action committee. She avoided a runoff by winning the Democratic primary with over 60% of the vote.
Partisanship shouldn鈥檛 have a place in the county鈥檚 criminal justice system, Burks said.
鈥淲hen it comes to everyday people being prosecuted for criminal acts鈥� we have to be as fair, just, objective and unbiased as possible,鈥� Burks said.
It鈥檚 a mistake to determine party favor based on how closely a candidate aligns with a national party platform, she added.
鈥淭he Tarrant County voter is smart enough to understand what qualifications are really important, and they鈥檙e going to be looking for candidates that they know are going to get the work done,鈥� Burks said.
The Tarrant County District Attorney race is 鈥� two for statewide office and two in the Texas Legislature 鈥� across the state that includes a Trump-backed candidate heading to a runoff election.
The results of those runoffs could be illustrative of Trump鈥檚 impact on candidates鈥� success, Jones said. Among Texas Republicans at least, he remains a bellwether for the party.
鈥淒onald Trump remains the most popular political figure among Texas Republicans,鈥� Jones said, 鈥渟o no endorsement is worth more among Texas Republican primary votes, than that of Donald Trump.鈥�
