Skip to content

Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Fact brief: Does the March 3 ballot feature a withdrawn Tarrant County judge candidate?

Jacob Sanchez, Fort Worth Report
yes

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey will appear on the Democratic Party’s primary ballot as a candidate for Tarrant County judge although he withdrew from the race in December 2025.

Texas law allows candidates to withdraw from an election. Stepping away from the race means they are ineligible for the November ballot. 

The ballot will omit their name if the withdrawal occurred 71 days before Election Day.

Votes for a withdrawn candidate are counted like any other person on the ballot. 

If the withdrawn candidate wins, their party picks the nominee for November. If a tie occurs, the candidate still running wins.

If a runoff is triggered, the withdrawn candidate’s votes would be ignored and the second round would continue with the next two candidates.

Veasey is not seeking any office in 2026. He said he will focus on serving the remainder of his term in the U.S. House.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.

See all fact briefs

The Fort Worth Report is a 501(c)(3) organization that launched April 12, 2021. This new media outlet is built on a foundation of local leadership and local investment. It provides community-sourced journalism that exclusively supports and reports on the Fort Worth community with fact-based, thoughtful and contextual coverage without bias or predetermined agendas. The enterprise is governed by a mission statement, bylaws, and an organizational structure that ensures it remains faithful to these foundational principles.

Learn More

Latest Fact Briefs

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.