Dallas County: Clay Jenkins claims victory over Republican Lauren Davis in Dallas County judge race

DALLAS COUNTY, Texas - Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins claimed victory on Tuesday night after facing a strong challenge from Republican newcomer Lauren Davis.

Jenkins took to Facebook early in the night to thank his staff and supporters.

Jenkins took a commanding lead among early voters in Dallas County.

2022 Election Day in North Texas: Live updates, results

Jenkins has served in the position since 2011, becoming one of the biggest Democratic names in Texas politics.

Over the course of the race, Jenkins was consistently out-raised by Davis, a businesswoman who was a newcomer to politics.

Jenkins received a great deal of criticism from conservatives during the pandemic, raising questions about the safety of his seat in a reliably blue district.

This will be Jenkins fourth term as Dallas County's top official.

What does a County Judge do?

Despite the name, most county judges do not try cases in Texas. Depending on the size of the county, they are asked to perform certain tasks. In Dallas, they serve as the supervisor of the commissioners courts, help run the county government and serve as the head of emergency management.

Races to Watch:

Dallas County Election Results

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot had no trouble winning re-election.

He defeated former DA Faith Johnson in a rematch of their 2018 race. Creuzot also got 60% of the vote in that contest.

Johnson had tried to paint Creuzot as being soft on crime in this year's campaign.

Democrats are also poised to take control of the Dallas County Commissioners Court.

The panel's lone Republican, JJ Koch, is on track to lose his re-election bid to Democrat Andrew Sommerman.

Koch trails by more than 7 points with several votes left to be counted.

New maps for this election likely played a role in the results.

Koch opposed the redrawn maps.