What happened: Midland County Republican voters chose Jay Marquez as the party’s nominee for Midland County Judge and incumbent Dianne Anderson as the nominee for County Commissioner Precinct 4 in the Tuesday, May 26, runoff election. Neither race has a Democratic challenger, meaning both candidates are effectively set to take office in January 2027.

Unofficial results from the Midland County Elections Office show Marquez defeating Karen Hood 5,779 votes to 4,416, or 56.7% to 43.3%. In Precinct 4, Anderson defeated Lance Friday by 97 votes, 2,027 to 1,930, or 51.2% to 48.8%.

By the numbers: The runoff drew 11,158 total ballots, equal to about 11.5% of Midland County’s 97,369 registered voters. The county judge race drew 10,195 ballots, down from 14,023 during the three-candidate March primary. The Precinct 4 race drew 3,957 ballots, down from 4,882 in March.

Early voting accounted for most turnout in both races. Marquez received about 66% of his votes during early voting, while Hood drew about 67% of hers before Election Day. Election Day did not significantly shift the race. Marquez led 56.3% to 43.7% after early voting and finished at 56.7% to 43.3%.

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The commissioner race tightened slightly on Election Day. Anderson led 53.0% to 47.0% after early voting before Friday narrowed the gap by 63 votes on Election Day. Anderson ultimately held on to win by 97 votes overall.

What they’re saying: “I knocked on almost 200 doors. It was hard work, but each evening, I felt good because the people of Midland were overwhelmingly kind and generous with their time,” Anderson told The Permian Press. “Thank you Midland County voters for trusting me to uphold the values we share. I am always available for your insight and input as I finish my first term and move into my second. Thank you again.”

Marquez told The Permian Press that he had been “running as if I’m losing and preparing as if I’ve won.”

The big picture: A relatively small group of high-turnout precincts again decided both runoff races. The 11 highest-turnout precincts in the county judge race accounted for 52.3% of all ballots cast in that contest. In the commissioner race, four precincts produced 56.4% of all votes cast.

Go deeper: Marquez carried 39 of the 45 precincts that voted in the county judge race. His strongest performances came from Greenwood-area Precincts 202 and 202A and from central Midland Precinct 403. Hood won five precincts, though all by relatively narrow margins. Her best showing came in Precinct 203, where she defeated Marquez 63 votes to 55.

In the commissioner race, Friday carried Precincts 401, 408, and 411, all in northwest Midland. His strongest margin came in Precinct 411, where he led Anderson by 73 votes. Anderson carried the remaining eight precincts. Her strongest performances came in Precincts 403 and 404, where she built a combined 113-vote advantage.