Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare warned attendees at a Euless gathering that voting for Democrats in November could lead to higher taxes and more crime. Speaking to members of the True Texas Project on Monday night, O’Hare compared the prospect of Democratic victories to a communist invasion.
O’Hare, who is running for re-election, urged the audience to prevent Tarrant County from becoming Democratic-controlled. He suggested that if the county followed Dallas in shifting political alignment, the entire state might follow suit. "We are sounding the alarm," O’Hare said.
"Don’t let it happen. We can control what happens." He added that success requires collective effort, stating, "If we all work, we will win.
If we don’t, we’re probably going to lose."
The speech occurred roughly two months before the midterm elections, which feature more than 70 partisan races at various government levels. Historically Republican, Tarrant County has shown signs of political change, including narrow support for statewide Democratic candidates in recent years.
The January upset victory by Democrat Taylor Rehmet in a special election for the Texas Senate seat fueled hopes among Democrats that they might flip the county.
O’Hare was scheduled to speak alongside District Attorney Phil Sorrells and County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, both of whom are also on the November ballot. Neither attended the meeting. Throughout his remarks, O’Hare criticized local media coverage of the commissioners court and accused Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons, his opponent in the general election, of not understanding budget processes or the no-new-revenue tax rate.
