Deborah Peoples, Mattie Parker heading to runoff for Fort Worth mayor

FORT WORTH, Texas - There were ten candidates on the ballot for Fort Worth mayor, as they looked to fill the seat that Betsy Price held for five terms.

Tarrant County Democratic Party Chairperson Deborah Peoples and Betsy Price’s former chief of staff, Mattie Parker, were the top two vote getters, and clinched their spot in a runoff election.

Click here for the latest election results.

Peoples is running for mayor again, after losing to Price in the 2019 election.

Parker, Price’s former chief of staff, received endorsements from Price and the Fort Worth Police Officers Association.

Councilmembers Ann Zadeh and Bryan Byrd, who represent District 9 and 3 respectively, also ran, but came in behind Peoples and Parker.

No candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, so a runoff election will take place in June.

Voters said they’re most concerned about education, safety, and growth of the city.

"I think we’ve got outstanding candidates. I think in the mayor’s race, that’s going to go to a runoff and it’s going to be just as important to vote then," Jarrett Vick said.

"I feel like as a country and a city, that we need to focus on the small things first in like a city. And if the city starts doing the right things, then city after city will start following the lead," Erika Cristantielli said.

A lot has changed in the last decade in Fort Worth, including the city’s population.

In 2010, it was 744,000, and by 2019, that number grew to 909,000, which is a more than 20% increase.

Price announced back in January that she would not run for re-election after a decade on the job.

She said the next mayor has to continue to focus on inclusivity as the city continues to grow.

"This isn’t partisan. The good governance happens right here in the middle. You get some input from the right, some input from the left and you decide what's best for the city as a whole," she said.