Democrats Amanda Arizola and Jared Williams were leading their March 3 primary election while Republican Tony Tinderholt secured his party’s nomination in the race for Tarrant County Commissioners Court Precinct 2, according to unofficial voting results.
Arizola had about 42% of early votes, while Williams had 38%. Gabe Rivas was trailing in the Democratic primary with just under 20% of early votes.
Meanwhile, Tinderholt led with about 81% of votes against Lucila Seri in the race’s GOP primary, according to unofficial results from the Tarrant County Elections Office.
The five candidates are seeking their parties’ nominations for the Precinct 2 seat left open by County Commissioner Alisa Simmons as she runs for the countywide judge seat on the court. The winning Republican and winning Democrat will face off in the November general election.
Arizola, 45, watched results come in from El Primo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina in Mansfield with about 25 supporters. Addressing the crowd just before 8 p.m., she expressed gratitude for early voter support, saying her campaign was rooted in and based on community.
“I stand here on the shoulders of so many amazing women and men who have helped support in every single way, from every single dollar to every single sponsorship,” Arizola told supporters.
Williams did not immediately return a request for comment.
Tinderholt, 55, was a 12-year member of the Texas House representing much of Arlington and Fort Worth. He entered the race last summer immediately after the Republican majority of the commissioners court redrew precinct boundaries to make Precinct 2 more favorable to GOP candidates.
Seri, 42, is a precinct chair who publicly opposed the redistricting effort, arguing that old census data couldn’t guarantee GOP wins at the ballot box.
Redistricting typically happens once a decade after the U.S. census, but county commissioners launched a mid-decade redistricting effort in the summer, with County Judge Tim O’Hare admitting the move was to make the precinct easier for Republicans to win. Democrats criticized the mid-decade process as an attempt at racial gerrymandering.
Arizola, 45, is the cofounder of the nonprofit CoACT North Texas; Rivas, 37, was a county staffer working under Simmons; and Williams, 36, last year stepped down from the Fort Worth City Council after four years of representing the southwest part of the city and the historically Black neighborhood of Como.
Based on 2020 census data, the new commissioners court map reshaped the makeup of the two Democratic-held precincts, pushing many of Precinct 2’s voters of color west from the Arlington-Mansfield area into Precinct 1.
Precinct 2, Democratic-held since 2018, now encompasses parts of Arlington and Mansfield, plus Rendon and pieces of Crowley, Benbrook, Edgecliff Village and the southern tip of Fort Worth.
Tinderholt supported the redistricting effort last summer, saying Tarrant should be represented by Republicans after President Donald Trump won the county by 52% in 2024.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court sets the county’s annual budget and tax rate, manages local elections and maintains public infrastructure. It operates similarly to a city council.
Although Precinct 2 was redrawn to give Republicans an edge, the Democrats on the ballot maintain it’s still winnable — particularly as their primary saw record turnout during early voting.
In January, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a landslide victory in the historically red Texas Senate District 9 that encompasses north Tarrant County. Political observers noted the upset win could drive turnout in the primaries.
Simmons endorsed Williams as her chosen successor. He’s running to “preserve our representation” in Precinct 2, Williams said, after residents unsuccessfully challenged the adopted map in now-dismissed lawsuits. While on City Council, Williams championed raising the minimum wage for city employees to $18 per hour.
Rivas said his experience working in the county and living in Arlington his entire life gives him an edge over his opponents.
Arizola said her experience on the JPS Health Network board of managers gave her knowledge and expertise about managing “big budgets” and fighting for results. She said she wants to maintain Precinct 2 as a woman-held seat.
Reporters David Moreno and Drew Shaw contributed to this article.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
