Casey Gray, who is challenging four-term incumbent State Rep. Brooks Landgraf in the March 1 Republican Primary, has raised $63,040 in the first campaign filing, with almost a third of it coming from a loan to himself.
Gray refused a traditional phone or in person interview with the Odessa American saying he would be “misquoted.” He said his message is already resounding with voters, and did answer a few emailed questions. He launched into attacks against Landgraf and asked if his opponent had given questions to the OA, which he had not.
Gray’s Tuesday-night campaign finance report to the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) showed him with a total of $63,040 in loans and contributions, including $10,000 each from Odessa businessman Dick Saulsbury and Ashley Wall of Houston. Gray loaned himself $20,000, according to the report.
Besides the Saulsbury donation, Gray received about $11 in donations from his home district with the rest coming from out of district. He is listed as his own treasurer on the required filing. He did not fill out the expenditures section of the filing other than declaring $750 in “not itemized expenses.” He has sent out several mailers, has campaign signs throughout Odessa and has opened a campaign office.
In Gray’s first filing to the TEC in the state rep race, he did not report paying rent for his campaign office at 113 W. Ninth Street and bristled when asked via email if he was paying rent or if Ector County Republican Party Treasurer Jeff Russell had offered him the office rent-free. Gray demanded to know if Landgraf told the OA to ask the question and wrote “I am renting it for a great deal from Two-Way Partners Ltd.” Russell is listed as a director or partner in Two-Way on state filings.
Asked in an email about his occupation, the almost 40-year-old Gray wrote “retired military.”
When he was running for Congress in 2020, Gray said he was born in Odessa and attended elementary and middle school here before moving to Bangs, near Brownwood, where he graduated from high school.
A Federal Election Commission spokesperson said Gray did not file a finance report for his 2020 11th Congressional District race, apparently because he did not raise the minimum $5,000.
He filed in 2016 to run as a Republican in Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff’s 28th Congressional District in California but was not on the ballot.
Asked why he was not on that ballot, Gray wrote, “It was an exploratory bid.”
Garnering 4,064 votes in the Republican Primary two years ago, Gray was defeated by now Congressman August Pfluger. He finished the primary behind fellow candidates Brandon Batch, Wesley Virdell, Jamie Berryhill, J. Ross Lacy and J.D. Faircloth, but received more votes than candidates Robert Tucker, Ned Luscombe and Gene Barber.
Legal issues
Gray has an April court date in Walford County, Wisconsin, on a charge of bail jumping. The prosecutor in the case said this week that Gray is accused of violating a restraining order twice and jumping bail on the two cases that were filed as a result of those alleged violations. Online records also indicate Gray is involved in a child custody dispute in that same county.
Court records also indicate that a Jan. 6 status hearing was held on the violate/harassment restraining order charge that was originally filed in February 2018. Gray entered a not guilty in May of 2018. See the court record here: State of Wisconsin vs. Casey Gray
Gray on Friday would not comment when reached by phone and asked for questions to be emailed to him.
Locally and in a separate matter from the Wisconsin bail jumping, Gray has filed police reports in Ector County alleging harassment during the last two years, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request. See the ECSO report here: Ector County Sheriff’s Office report. See the witness statement from Gray here: Casey Gray witness statement to ECSO
After being accused on social media of exaggerating his military record during his congressional run, Gray filed police reports and posted numerous times about the stolen valor claims on social media.
In 2020, Gray alleged via Facebook that Ector County Republican Chairwoman Tisha Crow and her family had urged him to accept illegal contributions, but he later deleted the post.
Gray has recently praised the County GOP executive committee.
Asked about his apparent change of opinion, Gray wrote:” I made a mistake about something that was said back in 2020 and I have since apologized for that mistake and stand by my current remarks.”
In an Ector County Sheriff’s Office witness statement submitted by Gray in 2020, he accused a number of high-ranking local GOP officials of such misdeeds as harassment/stalking and sharing a nude video of him.
Gray also went to the Ector County Sheriff’s Office in 2020 and accused Chris Gonzalez, the current Ector County GOP party vice president, of threatening him and trying to “extort” him.
In a statement submitted to investigators, Gray wrote “I was contacted by Chris Gonzalez and threatened and (he) attempted to extort me that if I didn’t obey his commands that I would be ‘exposed’ by West Texas Podcast.”
Gonzalez denied attempting to extort Gray and said he wanted to interview Gray for a podcast and Gonzalez told the investigator he’d merely been trying to help Gray by getting “ahead of the rumors” about his military service records. Gonzalez also said he worked for the local GOP “in regards to looking into the backgrounds” of candidates.
Gray, in his statement, also accused Crow and Odessa Mayor Javier Joven of slander and alleged Crow was going to share a nude video of him.
“I was contacted by Brandon Pugh, who is a precinct chair and he told me that Luis Burrola was sharing a nude video of me with members of the Republican party, including Tish Crow, whom made a comment that I was disgusting and she would share that video with everyone, Javier Joven and others,” Gray wrote.
The sheriff’s department investigator indicated in his report that neither Gray nor Gonzalez provided any information that an actual crime had occurred. According to the report, Gray also complained the ECSO had done nothing when he alleged a protective order he’d filed had been violated via social media posts. The investigator wrote that Gray also threatened to file a complaint against the ECSO.
“As I attempted to calm Mr. Gray down by apologizing for any inconvenience he has received; he immediately stated “I don’t give a shit, now are you going to do your f*cking job or not,” the ECSO investigator wrote.
The investigator detailed, “At this time due to his aggression, and disrespectful nature, I then advised Mr. Gray to exit the lobby and leave and to return when he was able to present himself with a calm demeanor in order for myself or another fellow investigator could speak with him.”
The investigator stated in the report that he was later contacted by Texas Ranger Cody Allen with the Midland DPS Home Office regarding Gray’s attempt to “file a complaint on me, and the Ector County Sheriff’s Office for refusing to act on an alleged violation of a Protective Order from another state. Ranger Allen then forwarded me the alleged paperwork Casey Gray presented him,” the ECSO report detailed.
According to the ECSO’s investigator’s report, the paperwork was forwarded to the county attorney.
Pages of social media posts attached to the report show a number of back-and-forth dialogues between Gray and others on social media. View the documents at oaoa.com or at the links provided with this story.
Gray’s contributors
Gray reported $750 in unitemized political expenditures to the TEC.
His other contributors include Robin Bennett of Odessa, $5.51; Nicholas Bickford, Portland, Ore., $1.35; Matt Chiebek, Milwaukee, Wis., $52.60; Sean Cyr, Montgomery, $26.30; Franco Dattilo, Grafton, Mass., $25; Robert Doyle, Colorado Springs, Colo., $52.29; Brian Forston, Franklin, Wis., $26.30; Susan Geise, Blaire, Neb., $50; David Gushansky, Studio City, Calif., $500; Steve Harry, Odessa, $1.35; Tim Harry, Odessa, $5; Anthony Hayes, Davenport, Iowa, $52.29; Aaron Jones, Queen Creek, Ariz., $26.30.
Also, John Kielbauch, Mount Pleasant, Wis., $25; John Klaboe, New Braunfels, $1,500; Eric Lynch, Reston, Va., $104.26; Kyle Majewski, Elkhorn, Wis., $50; Matt May, Katy, $104.26; Emily Panagos, Madison, Ala., $21.10; Michael Paulson, Rogersville, Mo., $10.71; Nicholas Rex, Blacklick, Ohio, $1.35; Kyle Ricely, Milwaukee, $17.76; Alonzo Robles, Austin, $25; Chris Simmons, Boerne, $100;
Also, Whitney Simms, Parachute, Colo., $10.71; Matthew Starling, Austin, $50; Michael Tafila, Cliffside Park, N.J., $104.26; Nathan Thompson, Goodlettsville, Tenn., $50; Chad Whiteman, Pineville, Ore., $25; Anne Williams, Pensacola., Fla., $5.51; and Gregory Williams, Evansville, Ind., $10.71.
Bob Campbell, Laura Dennis, Royal McGregor and Kim Smith contributed to this report.
