Latest news with #TonyTinderholt
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tarrant County Commissioners adopt controversial redistricting map
The Brief Tarrant County Commissioners on Tuesday voted on new precinct boundaries that will make it easier for Republicans to be elected in certain areas. Judge Tim O'Hare said the effort was to fulfill a campaign promise and increase the Republican majority on the court. Opponents say it's racially discriminatory and meant to suppress minority voices. FORT WORTH, Texas - The Republican-led Tarrant County Commissioners Court approved a redistricting map that seeks to expand Republican seats on the court. What's New More than 250 people signed up to speak at Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting, both for and against the effort to redistrict Tarrant County. Commissioners ultimately voted 3-2 to approve Map 7. Map 7 was considered to be the most conservative option. One thing that stands out about it is that it moves the Arlington sports stadiums and hotels into the Republican-controlled Precinct 3. Within minutes of the vote being announced, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, a Republican from Arlington, announced he is running for Simmons' Precinct 2 seat. "I'm ready to come home. As a proud Christian, 21-year combat veteran, and dedicated public servant in the Texas House of Representatives, I'm honored to announce my candidacy for Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 2," he said in a news release. That election is not until November 2026. Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons of Precinct 2 will see the most significant changes to her precinct's boundary, including moving AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, and Texas Live to Precinct 3. She questioned why the consultants hired to redraw the maps were not made available for questioning and pointed out that Map 7 was not even an option presented during the four public meetings held in various communities. What they're saying Commissioner Simmons told FOX 4's Amelia Jones that she plans to run for re-election despite the changes to her precinct and a newly declared republican opponent, state representative Tony Tinderholt. "This is racist, racial gerrymandering, it's intentional discrimination," said Simmons. "I am going to seek reelection with a tough map, and I'll be blockwalking from Arlington to White Settlement. Which doesn't make any sense, but I will seek reelection." County Judge Tim O'Hare told us he believes if Democrats had the majority, they would have made a similar move. "So for us, not to do that, when we are the controlling party, the majority party, would be foolish on our part, because we know if we lost, they would do the exact same thing," said O'Hare. He believes Tarrant County will see four republicans on the five-member commissioners court one day. "I think we're trending in the right direction, no pun intended, and so Tarrant County is alive and well in terms of being a red county and we intend to keep it that way," said O'Hare. Big picture view Typically, redistricting is done every 10 years after the census. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted not to change it after the 2020 census. Some people who spoke today believe the vote on redistricting violates the federal voter rights act. When Judge O'Hare was asked about the act, he cited a Supreme Court ruling that allows district boundaries to be redrawn for partisan purposes. He said the motion passed today was 100 percent legal. The backstory Judge Tim O'Hare said the redistricting effort fulfills a campaign promise. His mission was to increase the court's Republican majority. Currently, the court has two Republican commissioners in addition to O'Hare and two Democratic commissioners. The proposed precinct maps increases the chances that at least one of the two Democratic-leaning precincts will flip during the next election. Redistricting usually occurs after the U.S. Census data is released to ensure precinct lines are balanced according to population. But the commissioners in 2021 voted not to make any changes to the maps. Opponents have called this late redistricting effort racially discriminatory and argued it dilutes the voices of minority communities. The Source The information in this story comes from Tuesday's Tarrant County Commissioner's Court meeting, past news coverage, and a news release from State Rep. Tony Tinderholt.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Tony Tinderholt, voice of the insurgent far right GOP, to retire from the Texas House
Rep. Tony Tinderholt of Arlington, a leading Republican hardliner in the Texas House who once ran for speaker, announced his retirement after six terms on Monday, the last day of this year's session. Surrounded by lawmakers of both parties, Tinderholt said he decided to retire knowing that there was a new generation of ultraconservative lawmakers in the House who would continue the movement he has helped lead for over a decade. 'I returned to this chamber with one goal: accomplishing as much conservative policy as possible, while humbly evaluating if it was time to go home and let others continue this vital fight for the conservative movement,' he said. 'We've accomplished a lot in six sessions, but there's still more work to be done.' Tinderholt, a voice of the insurgent far-right faction of the Legislature who often disagreed with his more mainstream peers, acknowledged his colleagues from across the political spectrum in a tearful speech on the floor — while encouraging his hard-right colleagues to continue the fight. 'To my Democrat colleagues, I hope you know that I've always tried to treat you with the respect that you deserve as members of this body who are chosen by your districts to fight for the values you hold,' he said. 'To the Republican colleagues that I've oftentimes disagreed with, please know that my absence next session will not remove in any way the pressure to deliver real conservative results to the people of Texas. And though we've disagreed at times, I've been truly honored to serve alongside each of you.' His departure comes after last year's earthquake election season. Those primaries ushered in over a dozen more conservative Republicans and significantly grew the ranks of the far-right faction from last session, when Tinderholt ran for speaker on a hardline platform. 'Texas is in good hands with each of you, and it's time for me to step aside,' he said. Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, alluded to their evolving influence in the 150-member body with a grin: 'The first vote I ever took in this chamber was to vote for you to be speaker, and we were only 73 votes away. We were so close.' Tinderholt, now 54, joined the Legislature after more than two decades serving in the military, where he earned a Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge after taking part in counter drug missions in the Air Force and volunteering in combat zones with the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks. 'Arguably,' he said to laughs, 'my 12 years here has been one of the more difficult combat zones I've had the pleasure of serving in.' He attributed his decision to retire to a desire to spend more time with his family, who surrounded him after his speech. 'To my wonderful wife, Bethany, and my children, Tyler and Brenan,' he said, choking up, 'I'm coming home.' 'I get to be a dad,' he said. 'I don't have to miss practices and dances. I'm going to be able to do prayer at dinner with you, instead on FaceTime.' Colleagues in both parties who spoke after his speech emphasized his integrity, respect for his peers and the influence he developed within his caucus. 'It's not a matter of where we are when we come, it's a matter of whether or not we grow,' Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston and a veteran lawmaker, said. 'I've never seen a legislator grow as much as Tony.' Tinderholt recalled one of the earliest lessons he learned in the House, when Dutton helped him hash out the details of a technical challenge he wanted to raise to a bill the Houston Democrat supported. When he asked Dutton why he was helping him, Tinderholt recalled Dutton saying that, 'we're colleagues, and I want you to look smart when you go up there and I beat you.' 'The lesson is we are colleagues and we are family,' Tinderholt said, adding that he had tried to impress that lesson onto freshmen Republicans over each session. 'We're going to fight, and we're going to argue, and then we're going to go into the members' lounge, and we're going to make up.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
