Conservative ideology, not experience, carried the day in Tarrant County GOP primaries

With early voting results showing him with a commanding lead, Tarrant County judge candidate Tim O’Hare took the stage Tuesday night to address a sizable crowd clustered at tables in the ballroom of Southlake’s Delta Marriott. O’Hare, 52, a lawyer from Southlake, boasted about his grassroots campaign. He gave a nod to the endorsement he received from former President Donald Trump. He doted on Southlake, where he was the main character in the Southlake Families PAC’s efforts to stop the Carroll school district’s diversity action plan. He acknowledged his opponent, former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, and stressed unity. “At the end of the day, Republicans have to come together, have to unite, because the most important thing before us is to put it on the Democrats in November,” O’Hare told the crowd, drawing cheers and applause.

Republicans in Tarrant County and across Texas tried to establish themselves as the most conservative, often times pushing issues like border security and critical race theory in their efforts to secure red voters. In Tarrant County, the tactics worked in the judge’s race as O’Hare easily passed Price to claim the Republican nomination with nearly 57% of the vote. The results were the similar in other races, as well. In House District 93, political newcomer Nate Schatzline is in a runoff against former Southlake Mayor Laura Hill. Schatzline credited his church, Mercy Culture, and had advocated for getting rid of what he called “leftist indoctrination” in schools. The Republican runoff for Tarrant County district attorney features state Rep. Matt Krause, who made headlines in October when he launched an investigation into Texas school districts over 850 books related to race or sexuality. He faces longtime judge Phil Sorrells, a Trump-endorsed candidate whose campaign issues included prosecuting criminal conduct by undocumented immigrants. In House District 91, Rep. Stephanie Klick faced a slate of Republicans who hit her on issues like gender-affirming health care for transgender children — drawing more opponents than any Republican incumbent in Texas.