Extremist County Judge Tim O’Hare is Poised to Set Off a Firestorm
Perhaps the worst kept political secret in Tarrant County is the intention of MAGA extremist County Judge Tim O’Hare to steal Commissioner Alisa Simmons’ Precinct 2 seat and hand it back to deposed former Precinct 2 Commissioner Andy Nguyen who now serves on O’Hare’s official county staff.
O’Hare has made it clear he can’t tolerate an African American officeholder and made news when he insulted Commissioner Alisa Simmons telling her to just “sit there and be quiet” during a Commissioner’s Court meeting. Commissioner Simmons represents a majority-minority district and has been an effective critic of O’Hare by demanding simple accountability and transparency for her constituents.
O’Hare’s Scheme
So, keep your eye on the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office. The newly elected Tax Assessor-Collector is MAGA Republican hardliner, Rick Barnes. Barnes is an ally (some will say lapdog) to MAGA extremist County Judge Tim O’Hare. If, as expected, O’Hare sends his current top staffer, Andy Nguyen, to work for Barnes it won’t be to help Barnes out or to benefit the tax office. Rather, it will be O’Hare’s first move in a scheme to steal Commissioner Precinct 2.
The Steal
O’Hare’s plan isn’t to simply back another Andy Nguyen campaign. O’Hare will do it Tom DeLay-style – with a mid-decade gerrymander that distorts district lines to convert Precinct 2 from a competitive majority-minority district where minority voters have the strongest voice to a Republican district controlled by MAGA extremists. By parking Nguyen in the low-profile tax office, O’Hare hopes to shield him from the acrimony and political fallout from a sleazy and unethical move to undermine the will of voters.
The Two-Time Loser
Andy Nguyen is a two-time loser who was defeated as an incumbent Republican Commissioner in 2018 by former Commissioner Devan Allen. Nguyen lost again as an open seat candidate flying the MAGA banner in 2022 to current Commissioner Alisa Simmons. After his latest defeat, Nguyen has been taken care of by MAGA County Commissioner Tim O’Hare who has allowed him to serve as an overpaid but underworked county staffer.
A Mid-Decade Redistricting Will Set Off a Legal and Political Firestorm
The current county commissioners map was originally drawn and approved in 2011. It was again confirmed as reflecting the political and demographic makeup of Tarrant County in 2021. Since 2018, it has elected 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats, which accurately reflects the near 50/50 political behavior of Tarrant County in recent elections. The 2R/2D split frustrates Tim O’Hare because it forces compromise and middle ground preventing him from steamrolling the will of mainstream Tarrant voters.
Tim O’Hare will not be able to sneak through a craven move to undermine the will of voters and dismantle a stable county commissioners map. It will set off both a political and a legal firestorm. There has been no sign of dissatisfaction from voters with the current district lines. Expect neighborhood and community leaders along with average civic minded citizens to raise holy Hell.
More Background on Tarrant County Commissioners Court
Tarrant is a majority-minority county with an almost even partisan split. Democrats carried the county in key top-of-the-ballot races in 2018 and 2020, and Democrat Colin Allred carried Tarrant over Republican Ted Cruz in 2024. O’Hare himself very nearly lost to Democrat Deborah Peoples in 2022. Under the current map, two commissioner districts – Precincts 3 & 4 – are strongly Republican and are represented by hardline Republicans on the Commissioners Court. Commissioner District 1 is majority-minority and safely Democratic and will be represented by newly elected Democratic Commissioner Roderick Miles. Commissioner Precinct 2 is a competitive minority-majority district that marginally favors Democrats. Current Commissioner Democrat Alisa Simmons beat Republican Andy Nguyen in 2022. Republicans running countywide in recent elections – including County Judge Tim O’Hare – have lost in Commissioner District 2.
