23 candidates are tracked across 14 Tarrant County races for the 2026 election, led by the Tarrant County Judge contest. Preview your Tarrant County, Texas sample ballot for 2026: browse tracked local races, then enter your ZIP code to confirm which districts and offices appear on your exact ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateTexas
Races Listed14
Profiles23
Tarrant County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot. Texas nominees were set by the March 3 primary and May 26 runoffs; unopposed nominees still print on the November 3 ballot, a plurality wins, and declared write-in votes count but write-in names do not print, per the Secretary of State.
The sitting county judge faces the sitting Precinct 2 commissioner, who gave up her seat to run.
Tim O'Hare · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Tim O'Hare is Tarrant County's sitting county judge, first elected in 2022, per the county's official site, and a former county Republican Party chair.
Priorities: Lower property taxes · Election integrity · Fully funding law enforcement (per the campaign site)
Alisa Simmons is Tarrant County's sitting Precinct 2 commissioner, elected in 2022, and led the Arlington NAACP for more than a decade, per the Fort Worth Report. She won the Democratic nomination outright in March, per the county's official results.
Priorities: County services and public health · Oversight of the county jail · Homestead exemption tax relief (per the campaign site)
Sorrells has served as Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney since 2023 after more than 25 years as a judge and over 35 years total in criminal justice as a prosecutor and judge, per the campaign site. He describes himself as a fifth generation Texan, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Protecting communities and supporting law enforcement · Standing up for crime victims and holding offenders accountable · Enforcing the law with fairness, integrity, and common sense (per the campaign site)
Burks has spent 28 years in Tarrant County courtrooms, working as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, per the campaign site. She says that dual experience gives her a complete view of the justice system, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Prosecuting violent crime fairly · Protecting taxpayer dollars · Mental health, addiction, and second chances for youth (per the campaign site)
Tom Wilder has served as Tarrant County District Clerk since 1995, per the Texas State Directory Online. His office manages business operations for the county's 28 elected courts and 22 associate judges and magistrates, overseeing 153 employees who handle court records and financial accounts, per the Tarrant County government website. Tom Wilder appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney, per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Tom Wilder.
Smith is an Army veteran and Bronze Star recipient from a three-generation military family who grew up in Arlington public schools, per the campaign site. He previously worked as a staffer for a Tarrant County Commissioner focused on government transparency, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Modernizing the office's systems · Easier and cheaper document access (per the campaign site)
Mary Louise Nicholson is Tarrant County's sitting county clerk, serving since 2011, per the Fort Worth Report and the county's official site.
Priorities: Providing cost-effective services and a satisfying citizen experience · Serving as caretaker of the public record with exemplary customer service · Fostering a culture of teamwork across the Clerk's office (per the campaign site)
Bean is a small business owner and mother who founded Equipa, a consulting firm that advises nonprofits and foundations on strategy and leadership development, per the campaign site. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University and co-founded Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit that helps government employees report wrongdoing, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Protecting free and fair elections · Improving accountability, accessibility, and transparency in county government · Ensuring fiscal responsibility in county operations (per the campaign site)
An open seat after Alisa Simmons entered the county judge race; the Commissioners Court's 2025 mid-decade redistricting of this precinct was central to the campaigns, per KERA. The Democratic nomination was decided in the May 26 runoff.
Tony Tinderholt · Republican▾
Tinderholt served 11 years in the U.S. Air Force beginning at age 17, then returned to active duty after 9/11 for ten more years in the U.S. Army, per the campaign site. He currently serves as a Texas state representative for Tarrant County, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Reducing the property tax burden · Fully funding law enforcement · Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in county government (per the campaign site)
Williams served two terms on the Fort Worth City Council and has more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, including work at a local food bank, per the campaign site. He is currently a seminary student at Brite Divinity School and holds degrees in biotechnology and environmental science, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Ending unfair property tax appraisals and increasing homeownership opportunities · Improving wages, benefits, and childcare access for families and county workers · Investing in safe roads, public transit, and affordable healthcare at public hospitals (per the campaign site)
Ramirez served as a Fort Worth police officer for more than a decade and later led the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, where he managed a multi million dollar budget and negotiated a resolution to the city's pension shortfall, per the campaign site. He holds an MBA from Texas Christian University and currently serves as Tarrant County Commissioner for Precinct 4, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Lowering taxes and cutting government waste · Increasing funding for law enforcement and public safety · Securing infrastructure funding while supporting local control and business growth (per the campaign site)
Nydia Cárdenas is a Fort Worth native and leadership coach with a Stanford engineering degree and a University of Michigan MBA, per KERA and her campaign site.
Priorities: Empowering communities to identify their own challenges and lead their own solutions · Building stronger connections across Tarrant County so everyone can thrive (per the campaign site)
An open seat; only one nominee prints in November.
Ricky Rodriguez · Republican▾
Rodriguez began his career as a janitor at Bell Helicopter before advancing to a purchasing role, then worked overnight shifts at an Amazon fulfillment center while earning a political science degree from the University of North Texas, per the campaign site. He later served as Executive Director of the Tarrant County Republican Party and as a North Richland Hills City Council member, and now works as a licensed realtor and insurance agent, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Investing in roads and supporting law enforcement · Running a cost-effective, fiscally responsible court · Delivering timely decisions through lean management and transparency (per the campaign site)
Mary Tom Cravens Curnutt has served as Tarrant County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 since May 2013, per the Tarrant County government website. Before taking the bench, she worked at Software Spectrum, advancing from an entry-level role to Sales Director leading a $20 million annual sales team, and she holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Christian University, per the county website. A fifth-generation Arlington resident, she has volunteered as past president of the Junior League of Arlington and the Arlington Education Foundation, per the county website. Mary Tom Cravens Curnutt appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Tarrant County Commissioner, Precinct 4, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
Priorities: Providing fair, efficient dispute resolution and public service in the courtroom · Maintaining a calm, orderly environment where participants feel heard and respected · Continuing community support efforts such as rental assistance and truancy diploma programs (per the campaign site)
Vasquez is a bilingual former Justice of the Peace who has also worked as an educator and community leader, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Establishing night court options for working residents · Ensuring fairness and due process in eviction proceedings · Expanding language access through interpreters and multilingual court materials (per the campaign site)
Bill Brandt is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with more than 50 years of active and reserve service, per his campaign site. He earned a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a Juris Doctor from Texas A&M School of Law, and has served as Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 since May 2018, including as Administrative Judge for the Tarrant County Justice Courts since 2019, per his campaign site. William P. "Bill" Brandt appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
Christopher "Chris" Gregory · RepublicanIncumbent▾
Chris Gregory is a 14-year police veteran and lifetime resident of Precinct 4 who has served as Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 for eight years, per his campaign site. His court has returned more than $152,000 to the county through fiscal management practices, per his campaign site. Christopher "Chris" Gregory appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
Priorities: Fiscal responsibility and stewardship of taxpayer funds · Efficient court operations with no case backlog · Community engagement and accessibility (per the campaign site)
Rodney Lee is a retired Tarrant County juvenile probation officer with 20 years of service and a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran with 22 years of service, per his campaign site. He holds a bachelor's degree in legal studies from Texas Wesleyan University and a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of North Texas, and served two decades as an Arlington ISD attendance officer. Rodney Lee appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
Sergio De Leon has served as Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5 since his election in November 2012, after nearly 12 years as Tarrant County Constable, Precinct 5, per the Tarrant County government website. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Texas Wesleyan University and is enrolled in the University of Texas at Arlington's Criminal Justice Master's Program, per the county website. Sergio L. De Leon appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, per the county elections office's certified candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 3, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Sergio L. De Leon.
Charbonnet spent 17 years as a police officer and investigator, earning Advanced Peace Officer certification and Officer of the Year honors, per the campaign site. He is a certified Texas arson investigator and field training officer who has served on the Tarrant County Major Case Investigation Team, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Defending constitutional protections and rights · Supporting law enforcement and community safety · Applying the law fairly and consistently (per the campaign site)
Payne-Neal is COO of Welch Law Firm with 20 years of experience in family law and commercial real estate, per the campaign site. She holds a BBA and MBA from Northwood University and has volunteered with the Alliance for Children, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Using supportive interventions and prevention-focused approaches in truancy cases · Promoting fair eviction processes that include mediation and housing-assistance referrals · Streamlining court workflows with modern case-management tools (per the campaign site)
Sanders built a career in manufacturing and supply chain leadership, including work with Lockheed Martin and General Motors, before earning a bachelor's degree from Southern University, per the campaign site. He currently serves as Justice of the Peace for Tarrant County Precinct 7, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Building stronger communities by finding common ground · Treating all courtroom participants with dignity, fairness, and respect · Serving the court consistently, efficiently, and with compassion (per the campaign site)
Lisa Woodard has served as Tarrant County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 8 since being sworn in on January 1, 2011, becoming the first African American female Justice of the Peace in Tarrant County, per her campaign site. Lisa Woodard appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
