Republicans and Democrats compete for moderate Republican voters in Tarrant County ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker exemplifies the swing voters both parties pursue, saying she plans to vote for two Democrats statewide while backing a Republican for county judge.
Where
Fort Worth, Tarrant County
When
Published Nov. 1, 2026; reports on campaign activity ahead of Tuesday midterm elections
Tim O'HareTarrant County judge candidate, oversees Tarrant County Commissioners Court
Mark JonesPolitical scientist at Rice University
Ken PaxtonStatewide Republican candidate
Bo FrenchRailroad Commission nominee
The facts
Tarrant County is the state's third-largest county and has become a purple battleground.12Stated by 2 sources
Republicans hold a 3-2 majority on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court.12Stated by 2 sources
GOP commissioners redrew Tarrant County district maps last year.12Stated by 2 sources
Fort Worth Mayor Parker said she plans to vote for two Democrats running for statewide office.123Stated by 3 sources
Parker backs Tim O'Hare in the race for Tarrant County judge.123Stated by 3 sources
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Mattie Parker Many people feel the same way about splitting their ticket between parties.12
Mark Jones, Rice University political scientist A significant proportion of Tarrant County Republican voters are moderates willing to cross over for Democrats when Republican candidates are too far right.12
Democrats They see a chance to pick off traditional GOP voters turned off by Ken Paxton, beset by accusations of corruption and infidelity, and Bo French with a history of racist social media posts.12
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Early voting in Texas through November 1, 2026 shows a sharp increase in Hispanic voter participation. Nearly 1.8 million Hispanic voters had cast ballots, representing an 87.2% increase of over 881,000 additional voters compared to the same point in the 2022 election cycle.
NBC News, reported early voting numbers; Political Wire, cited early voting analysis
Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a state representative since 2016, campaigned in Lubbock against Governor Greg Abbott's bid for a fourth term. She criticized vendor contracts under Abbott, said she would redirect state spending to teachers and education, and disputed claims about her position on property and income taxes.
$Hinojosa said she would use money from the rainy day fund to put money back in Texans' pockets, would freeze electricity rates, and would suspend gas and diesel taxes.
Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate for governor; State Representative for Austin since 2016; Greg Abbott, Governor running for fourth term; Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency Commissioner
Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign launched the Abbott Impact app to conduct get-out-the-vote outreach by having users text their personal contacts who have not yet voted. Abbott promoted the app at a Harlingen campaign stop on Tuesday, asking supporters to download it. As of last week, the app had 11,450 users who sent over 20 million messages and knocked on thousands of doors.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Campaign leader who promoted app at Harlingen rally; Talia Stroud, Director of Center for Media Engagement at University of Texas at Austin, analyst of campaign strategy
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico held rallies in Bryan on October 30 and Houston on October 31 as part of his campaign tour. Democratic downballot candidates also appeared at the events.
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; Clayton Tucker, Democratic Texas agriculture commissioner nominee; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate and 2 more
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced arrests of convicted felons accused of voting illegally in the 2026 midterm election. The investigation began after a tip that people with felony convictions who were incarcerated, on parole or on probation had cast ballots in Harris County.
Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General; Texas Attorney General's Election Integrity Unit, investigating and making arrests
Federal spending on the 2026 midterm elections is projected to reach $11.9 billion, surpassing 2022 midterm spending of $8.9 billion. Outside spending by super PACs and dark money is expected to reach $3.9 billion, an 85% increase from $2 billion in 2022.
$$11.9 billion for total projected spending on 2026 midterm elections
OpenSecrets, nonpartisan research group analyzing Federal Election Commission disclosure data; Senate Leadership Fund, Republican-affiliated super PAC; MAGA Inc., super PAC linked to President Donald Trump and 5 more
Glen Maxey, Texas's first openly gay legislator, helped Democrat James Talarico win his 2018 state House race by flagging unregistered voters in Talarico's Williamson County district and sending them prefilled registration forms. Talarico now faces Republican Ken Paxton in a U.S. Senate race on November 3.
Glen Maxey, Texas's first openly gay legislator; helped with Talarico's 2018 campaign; James Talarico, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate; won 2018 House race with Maxey's help; Ken Paxton, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate and 4 more
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton held a campaign rally in Fort Worth on Saturday as part of his U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. Supporters were bused in from rural counties including Wise and Jack counties.
Ken Paxton, Republican attorney general and U.S. Senate nominee; James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; JD Enright, Paxton supporter who paid for bus from Runaway Bay