Lakesha Smith

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Lakesha Smith

Democratic Party

Candidate, Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2026

Next election

May 26, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Seattle University

Contact

Campaign website

Lakesha Smith (Democratic Party) is running for election for judge of the Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5 in Texas. Smith is on the ballot in the Democratic primary runoff on May 26, 2026. Smith advanced from the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.

Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lakesha Smith earned a bachelor's degree from Seattle University.

Elections

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Dallas County, Texas (2026)

General election

The primary will occur on May 26, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary runoff

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary runoff for Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5

Mareen Alexander (D) and Lakesha Smith (D) are running in the Democratic primary runoff for Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5 on May 26, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mareen Alexander
		Lakesha Smith

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5

Lakesha Smith (D) and Mareen Alexander (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Alyssa Patterson (D) in the Democratic primary for Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lakesha Smith	46.5	112,831
✔		Mareen Alexander	30.9	74,981
	Submit photo	Alyssa Patterson	22.7	55,084

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 242,896
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Tarrant County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Texas 213th District Court

Incumbent Chris Wolfe defeated Lakesha Smith in the general election for Texas 213th District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Chris Wolfe (R)	53.2	425,903
		Lakesha Smith (D)	46.8	374,606

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 800,509
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas 213th District Court

Lakesha Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 213th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lakesha Smith	100.0	115,071

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 115,071 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas 213th District Court

Incumbent Chris Wolfe advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 213th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Chris Wolfe	100.0	100,959

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 100,959 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Lakesha Smith completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Smith's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lakesha Smith is from Seattle native and a 2012 graduate of Tulane University School of Law. She has built her career on a deep commitment to public service, serving the people of Dallas County as a prosecutor, a public defender, and later as Legal Advisor to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. With over a decade of experience across the justice system, she brings dedication, integrity, and a proven record of service.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fairness Lakesha is dedicated and committed to following the law and applying the law impartially, ensuring every person who enters the courtroom is treated with dignity and respect.
• Public Safety and Accountability A focus on promoting public safety through consistent, lawful decision‑making that holds individuals accountable while also supporting evidence‑based programs that reduce repeat offenses.
• Building Trust A dedication to accessible court processes and building public confidence by maintaining integrity, accountability, and professionalism at all times.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Lakesha will always follow the law.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Smith's campaign website stated the following:

Lakesha is prepared to lead a courtroom that is efficient, professional, and fair.

• Fairness in the Courtroom: Lakesha's comprehensive experience ensures she will be fair, listen, be respectful, and follow the law.
• Professional and Efficient: She is committed to managing the court docket efficiently and effectively. An effective court saves taxpayers resources and ensures that justice is delivered without unnecessary delay.
• Upholding the Law: She is committed to be a diligent judge who takes the job seriously, who makes informed decisions based on the facts and the law.

Lakesha Smith is a respected attorney, ready to use her experience and leadership to preside over Criminal District Court 5.

— Lakesha Smith's campaign website (February 20, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

2020

Lakesha Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2026 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 5

Website

Footnotes

Texas courts

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Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas

State courts:

Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts

State resources:

Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas