Early election-night numbers in Tarrant County's Precinct 4 commissioner race showed Democrat Nydia Cardenas with 53.43% of the vote to Republican incumbent Manny Ramirez's 46.57%, a snapshot taken after all early ballots were counted but before a single one of the county's 223 vote centers had reported.
That caveat matters. With zero vote centers reporting, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the early lead represents only a partial count rather than a settled outcome in the race to represent northwest Tarrant County. Ramirez, a retired police officer who lives in unincorporated Tarrant County, won the seat by about 18 percentage points in 2022 and has held it since.
Precinct 4 stretches across a wide swath of northwest Tarrant County, taking in Azle, Blue Mound, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Lake Worth, Lakeside, Pelican Bay, Reno, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Watauga, Westover Hills, Westworth Village and White Settlement, per the same account. Whoever wins will serve a four-year term beginning January 1, 2027, and running through December 31, 2030, sitting on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, the county's governing body made up of four commissioners and the county judge.
Two Different Pitches to Voters
Cardenas, a Fort Worth resident who works as a leadership coach and organizational development consultant, has said she is running to make essentials more affordable, to listen to and respect residents' input, and to find compassionate solutions to mounting jail deaths in the county. She has built a reputation locally by frequently speaking at Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings, the newspaper's report noted.
Ramirez, for his part, has framed his bid for another four years around public safety, better roads and lower taxes. The contrast between the two candidates' priorities — affordability and jail oversight versus safety and infrastructure — has defined the race heading into election night.
A Historically Red Precinct in Play
The early returns are notable given the precinct's political history. Fort Worth Report has described Precinct 4 as historically Republican, pointing to Ramirez's roughly 18-point win there in 2022 as evidence of the GOP's traditional hold on the seat.
Fort Worth Report has also examined the broader demographic backdrop in Tarrant County, where Latino residents made up roughly 31.9% of the population according to 2025 Census Bureau estimates cited in its reporting. The outlet described Latino voters countywide as having swayed between Democrats and Republicans in recent cycles, a dynamic it has framed as relevant to races across Tarrant County, including the Precinct 4 contest between Cardenas and Ramirez.
