Tisha Crow Shows Impressive Record of Accomplishment as Ector County Republican Chair

A few days ago, Tisha Crow began her re-election campaign for Chair of the Ector County Republican Party by touting the significant progress of local Republicans during her tenure.  According to Crow, who has served as Chairwoman since 2010,  the local Republican party has a record breaking 25 precinct chairs filled,  saw a 25% increase in Republican voter turnout, and has more Christian conservatives elected than ever before, including Odessa’s first Hispanic Mayor, Javier Joven. 

Crow’s accomplishments prove her passionate political stance as impactful but her journey to politics started from a story that many Americans can relate to. “I didn’t grow up in a household that talked about politics,” she said. “It was a whole new arena for me. I got invited to a Republican Women’s meeting by a lady I knew, Lori Vickers, and immediately I understood that I needed to be educated.”

Although Crow had a degree in business, she admits she was complacent about her understanding of party politics.   After she had a revelation at that first meeting, she came to terms with how much responsibility she was putting on others in her community by not understanding or partaking in the wellbeing and future of the county. From that day on Crow knew she wanted to play a larger role in local politics and acknowledged that it would be a fight “worth the while.”

Crow went on to spend several years volunteering and working in local political groups before serving as Ector County Republican Chairwoman. During the next few years Crow worked hard to support and grow the Party.  She hosted numerous fundraisers for local, state, and national Republicans.  “I raised funds, I block walked, I phone banked.  I attended the Texas State Republican Party Convention twice.  I did a lot of grassroots work as I became more passionate about supporting good, solid Republican candidates.  I also chaired the Lincoln Day fundraiser which is the primary fundraiser for the local party.”

Crow also proudly sat on the Republican Women’s Board. “When I joined the Ector County Republican Women’s Club it was always at the forefront of promoting conservative Republican values and ideas and I was really proud to be a part of the Club.  It really pains me to see how far ECRW has fallen to the point where they currently hand over the microphone to openly liberal Democrat speakers in the name of inclusion.  We’re seeing liberals attempt to infiltrate Republican groups across Texas and it is really disheartening to me to see Democratic operatives being openly invited into ECRW meetings.  I think the current poor leadership and direction of ECRW is the reason why the Club has fallen from being one of the largest Republican Women’s Clubs in the country to now being able to barely fill up a small room.”

Eventually her dedication to the local party and hard work was recognized by the current chairman at the time, Shane Marler. Marler and several other Party leaders asked Crow if she would consider taking the seat of County Chair  and, with her trademark determination, she agreed. 

Before becoming Chairwoman, Crow also sat on and eventually ran the local ballot board which is the experience that led her to be incredibly passionate about election integrity and secure voting. The ballot board consists of both Republicans and Democrats who compare signatures and validate identification before putting mail in ballots in the official secured box. “You learn the nitty gritty of local government,” she said in response to her involvement in these local boards. 

Because she was unable to oversee the ballot board in years when her name was on the ballot, Crow began to build a solid team to oversee these critical tasks when she was legally unable to serve.  Her experience managing local elections has fueled her passion to ensure election integrity in the county, which she said is one of the most significant issues the local Republican Party is facing today. “In my opinion, every state rep and senator should have to work a full election. If they’re not on the ballot there’s no reason they can’t sit in that room and work,” she said. 

“They need to sit in the room and compare signatures, they need to have to watch the process. They need to count ballots and watch them be reconciled. If they saw the real issues that you see in the ballot board room, in the count room, if they were a poll watcher, and saw judges act illegally and heard them with their own ears tell voters how to vote they would understand the critical need for election reform.” 

Crow believes that even if two votes are counted wrong, it’s a tragedy. She reflected on her experience sitting at a Texas Senate hearing where she listened to unbelievable stories from election administrators and election judges about their polling places. The topic of election integrity is one of her “hot buttons” and she believes it should be one for all Americans in the upcoming 2024 elections. 

One practice Crow believes has made a difference and is a step in the right direction is requiring two forms of ID for mail in voting. Absentee voters must provide both a signature and a driver’s license or social security number. If one is missing or incorrect, a Democrat and Republican Party volunteer drive to the voter’s house in one vehicle to verify the voter’s identity and allow that ballot to count. This protocol costs volunteers out of pocket money, but Crow said it’s one way the community has come together to “cure good votes” and create a grassroots election process. 

Another issue that the local Republican Party in West Texas is facing is illegal immigration. “You can’t turn on the TV and see that our border is not…well honestly we don’t have a border. In reality, we don’t have a border,” she said. Crow acknowledged that illegal immigration has always been an issue because Ector County is on I-20 but stated that it has now reached an entirely new magnitude. She specified that the immigration crisis is overwhelming officers, firefighters, school districts, hospitals, county jails, and other city departments while costing “hundreds of thousands of dollars – even millions – when you put all entities together.” 

Towards the end of Crow’s interview with Odessa Headlines, she was asked why she is proud to be a resident of Ector County and serve as the Republican Chairwoman. Her answer was very straightforward and clear: “the people.” 

“West Texas is different than anywhere else on the planet or even in the state. People think differently. Odessans even more so. Local values are God, family, country, business – in that order. They want to do the moral thing, the right thing. They want to support underdogs but not if they are the bad guy. The average person truly has a moral compass and it’s one that aligns with mine.” 

Crow recounted when she served as a Chamber Ambassador and welcomed businesses into the community. She said people always talked about how impressed they were with how welcoming and kind the community was. Today, Crow ensures she is hearing the voice of the people by relying  heavily on her precinct chairs, which as stated earlier, have reached a record-breaking number. She said, “I rely heavily on precinct chairs to let me know what they see, what they’re hearing, what they find.” She also develops close relationships through her connections with small and commercial businesses at her insurance agency. People are always asking her what’s happening in Austin, DC or about what’s happening locally. They want to be heard,” she said. 

Crow’s commitment to her community was evident when she was asked what she believes makes a leader. She emphasized the importance of trust, strength of character, and a “moral compass that points due north.” 

“You are empowering people on our committees, boards, or families, through education and teaching people what they need to know for the positions or organizations they want to flourish in. It will enable them to be leaders in their community whether on their blocks, in a precinct, or in a church. You empower them with education and make them bloom. If you are not empowering people, you are not a good leader,” she said. 

Her statement relates back to Crow’s own story of becoming empowered at the Republican Women’s meeting back before she ever stepped into politics and she continues to pass it on to the community of Ector County. Even when asked how she handles criticism from media outlets – such as the Odessa American – she stayed true to her moral compass pointing due north by stating that she will not give false narratives or distractions a moment of her efforts or focus.