Republican Troy Nehls defeats Sri Preston Kulkarni in Texas 22 race
Republican Troy Nehls will be replacing Rep. Pete Olson to represent Texas’ 22nd Congressional District.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff defeated Democratic candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni by more than five percentage points.
TROY NEHLS
Republican Troy Nehls has served eight years as Fort Bend County Sheriff.
He has spent 28 years in law enforcement, 21 years in the National Guard and Army reserve, including tours in the combat zones of Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He retired as a Major.
According to his campaign, Nehls will be focusing on the economy, jobs, protecting Texas energy, and mental illness.
Learn more about Troy Nehls’ campaign.
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SRI PRESTON KULKARNI
Sri Preston Kulkarni is a national security expert who grew up in Houston.
Kulkarni, who is a direct descendant of Sam Houston, served in several overseas tours as a United States Foreign Service Officer.
Two years ago, he ran against long-time incumbent Pete Olson to represent District 22 and came within five points.
In a statement on Wednesday, Kulkarni said:
"Our campaign in TX-22 has always been about bringing real representation to our communities and ensuring that everyone has a voice in our political system. Over the past three years, we built the most diverse and inclusive grassroots campaign for Congress Texas has ever seen, with more faiths, more ethnic and linguistic communities represented in our coalition than anything we have ever seen before. Our work doesn’t end today. This campaign is about all of us, not any one person running for office, and about the potential we have to restore reason, compassion and decency in our society. We must all continue to hold people in power accountable and stand up against extremism, cruelty, and hate mongering. I am tremendously grateful to all of our volunteers and supporters who worked so hard for so long on this mission. I am asking you for one more thing: do not lose hope. I promise you that we’re not done fighting for our future.”
THE DISTRICT
Texas’ Congressional District 22 includes parts of Fort Bend, Harris, and Brazoria counties. Considered one of the most racially diverse districts in the United States, the population of more than 880,000 is 42% white, 25% Hispanic, 19% Asian, and 13% Black.
In the past election cycles, there has been a shift toward Democrat.
According to a Daily Kos report, in 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won the district by 25% and in 2016, President Donald Trump won it by roughly 8%.
Two years ago, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O'Rourke were almost tied in the midterm election, with Cruz edging out O'Rourke by less than one percent.
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