Incumbency has traditionally been a distinct advantage in Texas judicial politics. While that held true for justices on the Texas Supreme Court, it was a much different story in Dallas County, where nine trial court judges lost their benches to challengers by wide margins in the March 4 primary election.
Of the 40 trial court benches up for grabs in Dallas County, nine incumbents lost their seats in contested races, with several of them gaining less than 40 percent of the vote. It was the biggest voter-driven turnover on Dallas County courts since the Democratic Party swept the courthouse in the 2006 general election, defeating all 40 Republicans on trial court benches.
