Democratic hopes were dashed in Tarrant County. The party had made some in-roads in the GOP-stronghold in the last few elections but ultimately, Republicans came out on top in 2024. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman reports one strategist says a closer look at the numbers, though, raises some concerns.
ELECTION RESULTS
- Live election night coverage in our live blog.
- Federal and state races: All races | All federal races | President by county | U.S. Senate | U.S. Senate by county | U.S. House | All state races | RR Commissioner | Texas Senate | Texas House | State Board of Ed. | Texas Supreme Court
- All races by county: Collin | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
- Commissioners Court races: Collin | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
- Sheriff races: Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
- School propositions: Allen | Frisco | Everyone else (Argyle, Birdville, Celina, Coppell, GCISD, Highland Park, Northwest and Sunnyvale)
- Municipal propositions: Balch Springs | Dallas | McKinney | Everyone else (Burleson, Hutchins, Irving, Johnson County, Josephine, Mansfield, Ovilla, Shady Shores, University Hills MUD, Weston)
- How many people voted early? More than 1 million people voted early in North Texas. Click here to see daily early voting totals from Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties and compare them to those from previous years.
Nationwide election updates: Follow the latest national election news here.
After making some in-roads in Tarrant County, Democrats had high hopes going into the 2024 general election.
“Imagine a Tarrant County where our schools are leading others around the state," said Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Crystal Glayden on Monday during a press conference to push voters ahead of Election Day.
In the past, the party had beaten out Sen. Ted Cruz and now President-elect Donald Trump, prompting the question: Could the county be turning purple?
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
“They’re certainly not saying it after last night," said Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, a Republican.
In 2020, Trump lost the county to President Joe Biden by 1,800 votes. This time, he won by 42,000.
O'Hare also pointed to the sheriff's race, in which incumbent Republican Bill Waybourn beat Democratic challenger Patrick Moses 54% to 46%.
“We also flipped a constable seat from Democrat hands to Republican hands, so Tarrant County is solid red," O'Hare said.
He said the results show good governance.
“People know what’s going on in Tarrant County. They respond to tax cuts, they respond to strong law and order, they respond to responsible spending, they respond to eliminate all woke silliness that seems to be pushed at government levels all over the country now," O'Hare said.
But Republican strategist Vinny Minchillo said a closer look at the numbers reveals some concerns for the party.
"I was unpleasantly surprised by the Tarrant County numbers. I really was," he said.
In the race for U.S. Senate, Democrat Collin Allred edged out Ted Cruz.
"Certainly, Allred winning Tarrant County ... is going to take away your title of biggest red county in the state. You know, it's really not there anymore," Minchillo said.
He said the race that stands out the most to him is for sheriff-- despite Republican Bill Waybourn's win.
"But against the candidate who was pretty much unfunded, I think he had less than $10,000. And he should have won that by 20 points," Minchillo said. "That's a sheriff with a good brand and a good reputation. And that was needlessly close."
Minchillo said he wouldn't go as far as to call Tarrant County purple just yet, saying voters will probably vote red in the Midterm Elections.
"I don't think it's going to be reliably purple every single election," he said.
But, he said, the county isn't as red as it was and doesn't come without a fight anymore.
"I think Tarrant County is always going to be a battle," he said.
