Matt Krause, Roderick Miles on path to become newest Tarrant County commissioners
Roderick Miles and Matt Krause are poised to become the newest faces on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, representing precincts 1 and 3, respectively, according to unofficial voting results.
Krause, a Republican, ran against Democrat Laura Leeman. Miles, a Democrat, ran against Republican Michael Barber.
Miles and Krause have both declared victory on their campaigns' social media accounts.
As of 11:30 p.m., Miles earned 56.85% of the vote in the race for Precinct 1, with 90,200 ballots cast in support of him. Krause earned 64.21% of the vote in the race for Precinct 3, with 144,551 supporters.
As of 11:30 p.m., 225 of Tarrant County's 350 vote centers reported their vote totals.
Krause and Miles will succeed longtime commissioners Gary Fickes and Roy Brooks, who are both stepping down from their seats to retire. Brooks has represented Precinct 1 for 20 years, and Fickes has represented Precinct 3 for 18 years.
Brooks' and Fickes' exit from the court marks the potential for a new direction in Tarrant County leadership, as all five seats on the court will have turned over since the 2022 election.
Krause is an attorney and former state representative representing northern Tarrant County, while Leeman is a small-business owner. Miles is currently employed as Brooks' executive administrator, and Barber is a retired Fort Worth police officer and business owner.
Krause told the Report at about 9:30 p.m. that he feels "terrific" about his lead over Leeman and confident that he will cross the finish line in first place. Instead of attending a watch party, Krause watched the results trickle in from his home with family and friends, which he said is his tradition for elections when he's on the ballot. Krause unsuccessfully ran for Tarrant County district attorney in 2022.
"It's overwhelming and humbling, especially with the margins we were able to secure from the constituents," Krause said of the support for his campaign. "I feel very good about the campaign that we ran (and) the platform that we ran on. I feel like people can have some confidence knowing that I was in the House for 10 years and did what I said there, and that I will continue to do that on the Commissioners Court."
Miles did not return the Report's request for comment by the time of publication.
"To every resident and voter, thank you," Miles wrote on Facebook. "Whether you voted for me or my opponent, your engagement is what makes our democracy work."
Leeman told the Report at about 7:30 p.m. that she wasn't really thinking about numbers or election results as she attended a Tarrant County Democratic Party watch party at The Bearded Lady in Fort Worth's Near Southside neighborhood. As soon as she entered the bar carrying a life-size cutout of Vice President Kamala Harris, supporters flocked to her for selfies.
"I honestly am just so excited to be here," Leeman said. "I'm really not thinking about it all right now, I am just taking in the moment of seeing people that have supported me through this campaign. ... I am overwhelmed by the support that I've had."
When reached via phone at about 10:30 p.m., Barber told the Report he is remaining "faithful and hopeful" that final election results will favor him. He declined to concede the race to Miles at the time, but said he would honor final results.
"We are just holding firm in our belief that we've done a good job on our race," Barber said. "Our citizens have an opportunity to change a little bit the direction that we've been going in the last 80 years, and so I'm hopeful that their voice has been heard at the ballots."
Barber added he hopes not to see "any contentious behavior or attitudes" from either political party, regardless of which way his race swings.
Political experts previously told the Report district lines could impact the results of the election, as redistricting — and gerrymandering — have helped precincts 1 and 3 consistently swing in the same political direction in past elections.
Precinct 1 has historically been held by a Democrat, while Precinct 3 has been represented by a Republican. Still, Tarrant County leaders on both sides of the political spectrum said voters shouldn't feel discouraged from casting a vote. Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French previously told the Report that he doesn't see Precinct 1 as unwinnable for Republicans.
At the same watch party as Leeman, Crystal Gayden, Tarrant County Democratic Party chair, told the Report that her party knew the races for both commissioner precincts would be challenging to win. However, she said she's not surprised that Miles as a Democratic candidate took the lead in the Precinct 1 race.
"We knew that we were going to be in a fight for Precinct 3," Gayden said of Leeman's race. "But Laura Leeman has been an amazing candidate. She's checked all the boxes, she's done all the things that she needs to engage voters. And now we just wait."
Miles' campaign has focused on mental and behavioral health care, human and capital infrastructure, safety and criminal justice, and lowering the county tax rate. Krause's campaign website promises that he will fight for conservative values, Texas values and the Constitution in Tarrant County.
The four candidates report having the following amounts of cash on hand, according to their most recent campaign finance reports :
