Marian Brown leads runoff race for Dallas County sheriff, early totals show

Incumbent Marian Brown was ahead of her predecessor, former Sheriff Lupe Valdez, according to early vote totals shown Tuesday night in the runoff for Dallas County sheriff.

Brown is taking on Valdez to remain the top elected official charged with overseeing the county's law enforcement fleet and jail — and thwart his former boss' attempted political comeback.

Early results showed Brown leading 68.12% to 31.88%, according to unofficial results released at 9 p.m. when polls closed.

Valdez's campaign on Tuesday called for extended voting hours after severe storms caused widespread damage to neighborhoods across Dallas County and left more than 100 polling places without power. Republican and Democratic county officials joined the effort, agreeing that polling places should remain open after 7 p.m.

Turnout rates in runoff elections are generally lower, and weather and road conditions may have deterred some potential voters.

At stake in this second round is control of county law enforcement for the next four years. The Dallas County Jail has come under scrutiny in recent years, facing staffing shortages, payroll problems and the effects of a botched new criminal court database that has left some inmates languish in cells.

Brown and Valdez split the vote, 42% and 37.67%, respectively, in the crowded March Democratic primary. With no Republican challenger on the ballot, the winner will run unopposed in the November general election.

During the hotly contested race, Valdez's campaign blamed Brown for clumsy inspections of state prisons and allegations of poor prison conditions under his watch.

Valdez and Brown have a history: Brown was Valdez's third in command.

Valdez was elected in 2004 and is credited with launching a blue wave that firmly cemented the Democratic Party's control of Dallas County. After winning re-election three times and becoming one of the most popular Democrats in North Texas, she resigned to run for governor. Brown was appointed by the county commissioners as acting sheriff to fill the vacancy. Brown is the first black woman to hold this position.

Valdez won the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018 in a close runoff, making history as the first Hispanic woman and first openly gay person to win a major party's nomination for governor. governor of the state. She lost in the general election to incumbent Governor Greg Abbott.

Valdez said she is encouraged by elected officials, business leaders and community leaders to seek a possible fifth term. Her agenda includes boosting the morale of jailers and deputies and fixing technical problems that she says have led to a surge in the jail population.

Brown's campaign website states: “Every day I work to make Dallas County safer and run an effective and efficient office. »