For those readers that might be listening to a few locals that get all of their information from Facebook about our local Republican Party… I would like to share a few facts:
Tisha Crow, the current Ector County Republican Chair, has not, and cannot appoint precinct chairs. Anyone wanting to run for the chairman of their local precinct must submit an application to the local GOP. If those people draw a challenger, then both people are put on the ballot for the next election. If that precinct does not currently have a chair, and does not have a challenger, then their application goes before the local GOP executive committee for approval. (The Executive committee is made up of current precinct chairs that were elected in the same manner). It is the executive committee as a whole that votes to approve that candidate as a new precinct chair. While Tisha has the ability to vote, I have never once seen her vote for or against a precinct chair application. To my knowledge, Tisha has also never once told a precinct chair to sign or not sign a petition.
It is a state law that says that any new candidate that would like to run for County Chair must have at least 2 current precinct chairs to affirm their application. This is Texas Election Code 172.021. This law was passed by the Texas Legislature and voted in by our state representatives including our very own Brooks Landgraf. It seems that some people want us to just pick and choose the laws that they agree with, and then just ignore those that they don’t like. If you don’t like this law, then you should call Brooks and ask him to work to change it.
Tisha was originally elected to the position of ECR chair, and was not appointed. She has also been duly elected on the ballot three more times since then. In this time, I feel that Tisha has done an exceptional job. The ECRP has more participation now, then ever before. The local GOP has more money in the bank than ever before. For the first time ever, we have a totally Republican County Commissioners Court, and we now only have one Democrat City Council member. Tisha is also the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) Woman for Senate District 31. This means that Odessa has our voice on the board of directors for the Republican Party of Texas. Tisha has brought in guest speakers like Michael Reagan, Oliver North, Mike Huckabee, Charlie Kirk, and others to educate and motivate our members. Has anyone stopped to think that the precinct chairs might believe that Tisha is doing a better job than any of these applicants could do?
All of the “guest views” that I have seen in the OA are written by keyboard warriors that live their lives on Facebook. Living on Facebook is like living in virtual reality. These people need to turn off their computers and actually get involved. I am very active in the local Party. I show up to the majority of city council meetings, county commissioners meetings, and town halls of our elected officials. I have never once seen Ronnie Lewis, his sister Lori, or any of the others that have written letters to the OA at any of these functions. I have also never seen any of the candidates that have applied to run for GOP Chair at any of these functions. By contrast, I have seen Tisha at just about every one. I have had a few calls from people, that I have never seen at a public event, that want to know how to run for GOP Chair. This position oversees every election in our county. So, I have someone that has never been involved and doesn’t even know how to run for this position, that wants to lead our county. This doesn’t instill a lot of confidence for me to sign their petition. Don’t we want our Republican leader to be someone that shows up, plugs in, and involved in our political processes?
Many of the letters written to the OA have accused Tisha of being a bully, or a dictator. Those people that know Tisha, know that she has a strong personality, but I have never once seen her try to intimidate or control anyone. If you ask her a question, she answers it, with the facts to back up her statements. She is not gonna give you the gossip that is floating on social media. I want a leader that has a strong mind, that won’t back down from a fight. This is probably why I like Donald Trump. But, just to be clear, Tisha has never once tried to influence my vote.
Led by Tisha Crow, our precinct chairs and ECRP volunteers showed up in record numbers in our last election to walk the streets, going door to door, campaigning for our Christian Conservative candidates that were on the ballot. There will be many readers of this letter that will remember opening their doors and talking to us and sharing their hearts and opinions. We need your help. I challenge everyone reading this to quit being an armchair quarterback, and a keyboard warrior. Quit living in virtual reality. Get out, and get involved. I have personally walked hundreds of miles and knocked on doors to talk about the Republican platform and the Christian conservative ideals that this represents, as well as the candidates that follow that platform. Your voice makes a much bigger impact in a council meeting, a commissioners court meeting, or at a town hall meeting than it ever will on social media. I truly hope that you will come join me in the fight to Make America Great Again.
Ned Luscombe
Pct Chair
