Tarrant voters will choose between incumbent sheriff, Democratic challenger

Is it time for new leadership in the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office?

Voters heading to the polls will decide whether incumbent Republican Sheriff Bill Waybourn deserves another term, or if his Democratic challenger, Patrick Moses, deserves a shot at manning the helm. 

At the center of the race are the more than 65 people who have died in custody during Waybourn’s tenure, which began in 2017. The sheriff’s primary job is to manage the jail, and Waybourn has fielded calls for his resignation from residents and a county commissioner. But he’s retained strong support from area law enforcement and the county’s Republican party leadership. 

Waybourn has emphasized the work of his human trafficking unit and the planned construction of a new sheriff’s training academy as some of the reasons he should stay in office. 

Moses, a retired federal law enforcement official and Fort Worth pastor, is running on a reformist platform. He’s proposing a comprehensive review of existing policies and practices at the sheriff’s office. While Moses has received support from those who say the deaths in the county jail are unacceptable, he has been unable to match Waybourn’s fundraising prowess as a multi-term incumbent.

Campaign finance reports filed by the candidates show Waybourn raised more than $160,000 in September and October alone, while Moses has raised less than $20,000 since July. Moses paused his campaign during the summer to complete his doctoral degree at TCU’s Brite Divinity School.

Moses faces an uphill battle as a Democrat seeking election to a countywide office. Every countywide position is currently held by a Republican, and it has been almost 40 years since a Democrat was elected sheriff. In 2020, Waybourn won a second term over Democrat Vance Keyes with nearly 53% of the vote.

Waybourn’s leadership has come under fresh scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the election. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards found Tarrant County has been violating a law mandating independent investigations of jail deaths, an allegation that the sheriff’s department denies. 

The news came the same week that Waybourn released a third-party review of health care services inside the county jail, which he said he asked for in the name of transparency.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 5. You may find a polling location here and view a sample ballot here. 

Check out the Fort Worth Report’s Election Central and 2024 voter guide for more information. 

This story will be updated after polls close at 7 p.m. Nov. 5.