Sheriff Marianne Brown won Tuesday’s runoff election with nearly 40 percent of the vote, retaining her position as Dallas County’s top elected official who oversees the county’s law enforcement fleet and jails and thwarting her predecessor’s attempt to return to politics.
Brown received 69% of the vote in the election to Valdez’s 31%, according to unofficial results. Turnout in the primary was low, with only 1.72% of registered voters participating in the Democratic primary runoff election.
“This election has never been about me. It is an election to highlight the many issues at the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department,” Valdez said in a statement. “I am honored to draw attention to the many issues affecting our deputies, including morale and the safety of inmates and Dallas County residents.”
“We hope our campaign will shine a light on these issues and lead to improvements at the Sheriff’s Department.”
Brown could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday.
After severe storms caused widespread damage in Dallas County neighborhoods and knocked out power to more than 100 polling places, Valdez’s campaign petitioned for extended voting hours, and Republican and Democratic county officials joined the effort, agreeing that polling places should stay open past 7 p.m.
Turnout in runoff elections has been historically low, and weather and road conditions may have deterred some voters from voting.
With no Republican challenger, the winner will run unopposed in November’s general election.
The runoff election is about control of the county’s law enforcement agency for the next four years. The Dallas County Jail has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, facing staffing shortages, pay issues and the fallout from a flawed new criminal court database that has left some inmates languishing in solitary confinement.
During the hotly contested election, Valdez’s campaign accused Brown of failing to inspect state prisons and alleged poor conditions under her leadership.
Valdez and Brown have a history together: Brown was Valdez’s No. 2.
Valdez was elected in 2004 and was credited with starting a blue wave that cemented Democratic control in Dallas County. After being re-elected three times and becoming one of the most popular Democrats in North Texas, she resigned to run for governor. Brown was appointed interim sheriff by the county commissioners to fill the vacancy. She is the first Black woman to hold that position.
Valdez made history as the first Hispanic woman and first openly gay person to be nominated for governor by a major party in the state when she narrowly won the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial runoff election. She lost to incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in the general election.
Valdes said he had received encouragement from elected officials, business and community leaders to run for a fifth term. His policies included boosting morale among corrections officers and deputies and addressing technical issues that he said contributed to the prison population’s rise.
“I am focused every day on making Dallas County safer and running an efficient and effective office,” Brown’s campaign website says.
