Alisa Simmons defeated incumbent Tim O'Hare on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to become Tarrant County's next county judge, according to unofficial results reported by Community Impact.

Simmons, a Democrat and the current Precinct 2 county commissioner, received 342,759 votes, or 57.2%. O'Hare, the Republican incumbent, received 256,481 votes, or 42.8%, according to the county. During a campaign celebration, Simmons said O'Hare called to concede the election.

The win makes Simmons Tarrant County's first Democratic county judge since 1986 and its first Black county judge, according to the Fort Worth Report. Former Fort Worth mayor Mike Moncrief, a Democrat, was the last to hold the seat, serving three terms in the 1970s and 1980s, according to a Fort Worth Report analysis published in October.

All results remain unofficial until canvassed.

What the county judge does

The county judge presides over the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, the county's governing body. The judge and four commissioners vote on county administration, policies and contracts. They also set the county's annual budget and tax rate, according to the Fort Worth Report.

The position functions like a countywide mayor. The judge represents all of Tarrant County's roughly 1.37 million registered voters, while each commissioner represents a single precinct.

What it means for NE Tarrant taxpayers

The Commissioners Court had operated with a 3-2 Republican majority under O'Hare, alongside commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez. That majority lowered the county tax rate four consecutive years, saving property owners an estimated $1 per year on their tax bill, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Simmons' campaign focused on what she called "meaningful" tax relief, strengthening county services and increasing residents' access to government, according to the Fort Worth Report. She also proposed increased oversight and independent investigations into in-custody deaths at the county jail.

Simmons will still be in the party minority on the court unless Democrats hold the Precinct 2 seat or flip the Republican-held Precinct 4 representing northwest Tarrant County. Republican Tony Tinderholt and Democrat Jared Williams ran for the Precinct 2 seat Simmons vacated. That race's outcome was not available in the sources reviewed for this article.

Redistricting backdrop

The race played out against a contentious redistricting fight. In June 2025, the court's three Republicans voted 3-2 to approve a new precinct map that reshaped Precinct 2 to favor GOP candidates. O'Hare initiated the unusual mid-decade redistricting.

Critics, including Simmons, accused the Republican commissioners of drawing lines that packed Democratic-leaning voters of color into a single precinct. Two federal lawsuits challenging the map were dropped or dismissed by December 2025, according to the Fort Worth Report.

O'Hare, a Southlake resident, was seeking his second term. He had campaigned on public safety and low taxes. Simmons, who cited 21 years working in 911 operations before becoming commissioner, had listed fiscal stability, mental and behavioral health, and jail accountability among her top priorities, according to a Fort Worth Report candidate survey.

The county judge serves a four-year term. Simmons is set to take office in January 2027.