To the Editor:
I am thrilled to announce my run for re-election as Chairwoman of the Ector County Republican Party.
I am a lifelong citizen of Odessa and Ector County and I am a graduate of Permian High School and Odessa College (go Wranglers!). In 1996 my husband, Kris, and I earned our degrees from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (Go Falcons!). Throughout almost 30-years of marriage, we raised our two beautiful daughters, Jaden and Jules right here in Odessa. Jaden recently graduated with a degree from Tarleton University and Jules is a junior at Texas A&M at Commerce working on her degree in construction engineering.
Kris and I jointly own and run a successful insurance agency that we started in Odessa over twenty years ago. We also own a premium finance company and a real estate investment company.
I believe that my character, drive, experience, honesty, and integrity have been demonstrated by my effectiveness in growing and strengthening our local Republican Party. When I was elected in 2009 to the position of Ector County Republican Party Chair, the Party was a very different group than it is today. In 2009, the Party did not reflect our city or county demographics and was composed of a majority of older, wealthy, anglos.
Now, our Republican Board is a mix of all ages and includes both the younger men and women of our community as well as reflecting our community’s cultural variations. The Ector County Republican Board is now a true reflection of our community in age, sex, and cultural demographics.
In 2009, our local elected officials mirrored the composition of our Board. Now, because of the relentless work of the Republican Board, Ector County voters have elected more Christian conservatives than ever before from a wide variety of neighborhoods, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds. This was only possible because of the tireless work of the Republican Board to recruit, fund, and campaign for great Conservative candidates such Odessa’s first Christian conservative Hispanic Mayor, Javier Joven.
Through my tenure as the leader of the local party, we have cataloged many wins for our community. Over the last several years, we have grown the party to over 25 filled precinct chair positions – the most in our local party’s history! In the 2008 General Election, Ector County had 26,199 Republicans vote at the polls. In the 2020 General Election, we had 32,697 Republicans turn out to vote. That is a whopping 25% increase in Republican voters through my tenure as Republican Chair.
I firmly believe that these victories are the result of the blood, sweat, tears, and hard work of our Republican Party Precinct Chairs, volunteers and elected officials. Our citizens are plugged in like never before! They are involved in the grassroots election process, like never before!
From day one in office, I have been unapologetic in my mission to ensure that every elected position in Ector County and the City of Odessa is held by a true Christian conservative REPUBLICAN. For the first time EVER, we have a one hundred percent REPUBLICAN County Commissioners Court and there is only one Democrat on the Odessa City Council.
I have heard a few people say that many local offices are “non-partisan”, and that party affiliation does not matter in these races. To that, I always respond with an emphatic “You are absolutely incorrect!”.
When an elected official takes their seat on a dais to make decisions that impact all of our community, they do so by applying their personal beliefs and moral compass. Therefore, their stance on issues such as abortion, religious freedoms, Christian values, traditional marriage, gun rights, free enterprise vs government subsidies, or prayer in schools matter greatly as they are voting on ordinances and policies which affect us all. This is why EVERY elected seat must be held by a Christian conservative Republican.
Under my leadership, this is what our local Republican party does. The Executive Board, the Chair and Precinct Chairs, meet to discuss candidates running for office. We then compare their stated beliefs, vote history, and their actions to the Texas Republican Party platform and to the other candidates in that race.
For the vast majority of primary races, the Party remains silent as most candidates running in a Republican primary are good hard-working people that want to serve their community.
However, there have been some races in the past where the Republican Board uncovered evidence that a candidate’s beliefs, actions, or vote history were in stark contrast to the Texas Republican Party platform. In these cases we felt compelled to endorse one candidate over another.
When we endorsed County Commissioner Greg Simmons in his most recent reelection campaign we had discovered that his challenger had voted as a Democrat in every election from the time he turned 20, up until the election just prior. Suddenly, he would have had voters believe he had magically morphed into a real Republican. When we then compared his publicly stated beliefs against the Republican Platform we knew the truth was that he was simply a smart Democrat, who knew there was NO WAY he could get elected running as a Democrat against a Republican in Ector County.
Contrary to a lot of the lies being tossed about, Matt Rinaldi, Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, has openly stated, “It is the job and duty of local parties to endorse candidates in primary elections. If your county is not doing this, then they definitely should be.”
To be clear, the Ector County Republican Party County Executive Committee only endorses candidates after exhaustive research and in depth comparisons of each candidate’s beliefs and values against those of the platform of the Republican Party of Texas. Contrary to other lies being bandied about, local endorsements from the local party STILL allow the voters to decide. The difference is…they are now making an EDUCATED DECISION.
In the present day and age when Democrats are openly running for Republican positions in an attempt to infiltrate and destroy our beloved party, it is the duty of the Republican Board to expose these discrepancies and to educate the public by our endorsements.
In 2022, I was honored to be chosen by the leadership of the 45 counties in Texas Senate District 31 to represent our community as the State Republican Executive Committeewoman where I continue to fight every day to bring our West Texas values to the rest of our District and State. I am currently the Chair of the Parental Rights and Educational Freedom Committee and I work diligently every day with leaders across the state to promote Conservative West Texas values.
I’m proud of the endorsement of Texas Senator Kevin Sparks who says, “Tisha Crow has served Ector County well in her capacity as GOP chair for 14 years. She has been a leader and familiar face in the Odessa community, working hard to produce an effective team in the Ector County Republican Party. It is critical for the entire state that Ector County and West Texas foster an active Republican presence.”
I am honored to appear on the March 2024 primary ballot for Ector County Republican Party Chair and I would appreciate your vote.
Tisha Crow
Ector County Republican Party Chair