Republican incumbents in Tarrant County's top races are raising and spending well ahead of their Democratic challengers heading into the Nov. 3 election, according to campaign finance reports published Oct. 5. The reports cover July 1 through Sept. 24.
Incumbent Republicans held the money lead in the contests for county judge, county commissioner and district attorney. The pattern flipped lower on the ballot, where Democrats outraised Republicans in the district clerk and county clerk races. Taken together, candidates for commissioners court, district attorney, district clerk and county clerk collected more than $1 million from donors that included PACs, investors, developers, local officeholders and fellow candidates, the Fort Worth Report found.
County judge
County Judge Tim O'Hare, who is running for a second term, reported more than $836,000 on hand as of Sept. 24. He took in roughly $415,000 during the period and spent about $290,000, mostly on consultants and canvassing. His biggest single gift was $100,000 from Texans United for a Conservative Majority, a PAC led by oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks of West Texas.
His challenger, Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons, reported about $247,000 in the bank. She raised about $286,000 and spent close to $75,000, largely on consultants, phone banks and yard signs. Most of her donors gave $100 or less; the largest contributor was developer Walter Horton, who gave roughly $98,000 across three payments.
Both candidates picked up the pace from the first half of the year, when O'Hare raised about $314,000 and Simmons about $111,000.
Several Tarrant County mayors gave to O'Hare during the period: Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker gave $1,000 with her husband, David Parker; North Richland Hills Mayor Jack McCarty gave $5,000; Keller Mayor Ross McMullin gave $500; and Southlake Mayor Shawn McCaskill gave $250. Mansfield Mayor Michael Evans gave $1,000 to Simmons.
