The positive won out in Ector County on Tuesday’s election day, newly-elected GOP County Chair Donna Kelm said after final returns were posted.
Kelm and her supporters helped show former GOP Chair Tisha Crow the door after a brutal campaign locally.
In early voting, Kelm took a lead of 2,916 to 1,941 and Crow never recovered.
The Kelm/Crow race was about more than Ector County GOP chair. It was about control of the local party with both women taking a slate of candidates to the polls with them.
“When I started this I wanted unity and transparency and leadership and honesty,” Kelm said. “All the lies they have posted and all the ugliness … We will not retaliate. We want a clean slate and hopefully Tisha and I can work together to transfer leadership.”
Almost all of Kelm’s candidates defeated Crow’s group, including Mayor Javier Joven losing again to Odessan Richard Pierce for precinct chair and Odessa City Councilwoman Denise Swanner losing to Brenda Worthen.
Kelm had to fight to get on the ballot with Crow supporters refusing to give her the three signatures needed by local party chairs. At the last minute, Kelm secured the signatures and led a slate of new faces against Crow’s mostly appointed precinct chairs. Some were even appointed as late as November of 2023.
Local fake news sites led by failed precinct chair candidate Jeff Russell and the Crow faction posted almost daily misinformation online and tempers flared during early voting with both sides handing out cards with a slate of candidates each dubbed Republicans. Russell lost to Billy Dubose in Precinct 312 for the chair position.
Kelm and failed precinct chair candidate Carmen Wilhite (who lost to Ronnie Lewis who helped lead the Kelm faction) had a dust-up during early voting that ended with each accusing the other of assault. Kelm has said she touched Wilhite who then grabbed Kelm’s hair. A witness verified Kelm’s recounting of the event and Kelm ended up at the doctor. Wilhite has not responded to requests for her side of what happened.
Lewis overwhelmingly defeated Wilhite. Lewis, like Kelm, bore the brunt of the online harassment from the Crow faction during the campaign.
“Ronnie pulled a lot of people in and a lot of us (candidates) felt just as I did … I felt called to do this and Ector County on Tuesday proved they were ready for a change and they now know they were left in the dark for a long time.”
Kelm vowed to run a local GOP that is open and welcoming to Odessans and not secretive with closed and often locked doors to keep Odessans out. “It’s not a secret club and it won’t be run that way.”
Kelm on the campaign trail said she wanted civility back in the local GOP and that she opposed using the local party to endorse one Republican over another. “We proved Tuesday that we stepped up and wanted to be helpful to the cause to keep Ector County red and that keeps Texas red … We want to push the Republican party to get even more people involved and do meet and greets and show people what we stand for.”
Both Kelm and Lewis said they were tired Tuesday night, but will be back at it on Wednesday morning picking up campaign signs and preparing for the Kelm group’s takeover of the local GOP.
