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Far-right Republicans triumphed in Tarrant County on Tuesday, cementing their grip on local government that included the re-election of a sheriff with ties to anti-choice movements and maintaining GOP control of a crucial electoral battleground.

Republican Sheriff Bill Waybourn retained his seat, and former state Rep. Matt Krause, a conservative Republican, won his commissioner race, securing a GOP majority on the county board. Democrat Roderick Miles also won a field seat, representing a predictably blue precinct.

Former President Donald Trump also won Tarrant County — a reversal from 2020, when he lost there. Meanwhile, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz followed by his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, down less than one percentage point in the county Wednesday morning.

Tarrant County is the most populous Republican-led county in the nation. After President Joe Biden won there in 2020, voters elected hard-line conservative Tim O’Hare as county judge in 2022 — the highest elected office. Tuesday’s election is likely to ramp up the “culture war” agenda that O’Hare has carried into office and accelerate local government’s continued shift away from the bipartisanship it once prided itself on.

Krause is a leader in the conservative Christian legal movement in Texas. He advocated for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms and, as a lawmaker, investigated Texas school districts for books that teach racism or sexuality. His election places two prominent far-right figures on the five-seat county commissioners court, including O’Hare.

Waybourn has close ties to the Constitutional Sheriff movement, a far-right force organization that believe the elected sheriff they have almost unchecked authority to defy state and federal laws they deem unconstitutional. He spoke at a “Stop Theft“rally in 2020 and was recently appointed”Sheriff of the year” by the Claremont Institute, a think tank whose leaders have advocated Christian nationalism and were central to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Waybourn survived a challenge from Democrat Patrick Moses, a law enforcement officer turned reverend whose campaign focused heavily on more than 65 people who died in the prison below Waybourn. Moses accused Waybourn of focusing more on national politics than his local duties.

Waybourn and Krause won their races despite concerns from some area Republicans about the direction of county government. Earlier this year, Glen Whitley, a Republican who carried the county from 2007 to 2022, told The Texas Tribune that O’Hare governed with an “us vs. them” mentality. them” — a stark contrast to the moderate, pro-business approach that has helped the GOP keep control of the rapidly diversifying county for decades.

Under O’Hare, the commissioners court changed election rules, reduced diversity and harassment training requirements for local government agencies, and cut ties to youth programs because the groups that ran them taught about racial inequality. At the same time, O’Hare repeatedly targeted private citizens who criticized him. Before the election, the county judge unsuccessfully tried to limit access to early voting by closing polling stations on some university campuses.

Krause replaces incumbent Commissioner Gary Fickes after comfortably defeating Democratic challenger Laura Leeman in Precinct 3, which covers the northeast part of the county and includes towns like Southlake and Keller. A member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, Krause served in the Texas House for five terms. During that time, he asked school superintendents to confirm whether their libraries and classrooms contained any books from a list of 850 titles that “make students feel uncomfortable,” triggering a removal of certain books by the statewide GOP, often touching on LGBTQ+ themes, in public. schools and libraries.

Tarrant County is an epicenter of conservative Christian movements that argue that America’s founding was ordained by God and that Christians should have dominion over all parts of society. Krause’s election is the latest victory for that movement and for local churches that have defied federal bans on political activity to elect state and local government allies.

Krause is a lawyer with the First Liberty Institute, which was instrumental in processes that infused Christianity more into public life and eroded the separations between church and state. Last year, when Texas lawmakers considered a bill to mandate the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, he testified that Texas could become a national “model” for passing laws that would trigger a “restoring faith in America”. The bill has not passed, but lawmakers are expected to pursue it during the 2025 legislative session.

The 1st District, which covers the southwestern part of the county, went to Miles, whom incumbent Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks endorsed. The region is usually where most of the county’s Democratic votes are, as Miles won his race against Republican Michael Barber.

In a tighter race, Waybourn won re-election despite an 8-year term marked by controversy.

Waybourn faced calls to resign from a Democratic commissioner and local community members over the county jail deaths. Waybourn asked the US Department of Justice review the terms in prison in May. Its results showed that while several prison practices met or exceeded national standards, officials could improve conditions for those with significant needs, including those at risk of suicide.

Local Accountability PAC, a national progressive group focused on sheriff’s races, launched a six-figure campaign to help Moses unseat Waybourn. Moses received the endorsement of local North Texas newspapers and state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, while Gov. Greg Abbott and local law enforcement associations received APPROVED Waybourn. Along with O’Hare and District Attorney Phil Sorrells, Waybourn is a member of the county election integrity unit, created last year to focus on potential voter fraud, which has not filed any cases.

Tarrant County Republicans also won other local races, such as the county assessor-tax collector and local judicial races.