Troy Nehls

Troy Edwin Nehls (born April 7, 1968)[3] is an American politician and law enforcement officer who is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district. From 2013 to 2021, he served as the sheriff for Fort Bend County, Texas. Nehls is a member of the Republican Party.

Troy Nehls
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byPete Olson
Sheriff of Fort Bend County
In office
January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2021
Preceded byMilton Wright[1]
Succeeded byEric Fagan[2]
Personal details
Born (1968-04-07) April 7, 1968
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Jill Broxson
​
(m. 2009)​
Children3
ResidenceRichmond, Texas, U.S.
EducationLiberty University (BA)
University of Houston–Downtown (MA)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1988–2009
UnitUnited States Army Reserve

Early life and education

Nehls was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. His father, Edwin Nehls, served in the Korean War and as sheriff of Dodge County, Wisconsin.[4] Nehls enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1988. He served tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and earned two Bronze Stars.[4] He earned his bachelor's degree from Liberty University and a master's degree in criminal justice from University of Houston–Downtown.[5]

Career

Nehls moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1994, and joined the police department of Richmond, Texas.[5] In 1998, he was fired for reasons which included destruction of evidence.[6]

In 2004, Nehls was elected constable for Fort Bend County, while he was serving in Iraq.[4] He retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of major in 2009.[4] In November 2012, Nehls was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County, taking office in January 2013.[7] He was re-elected in November 2016.

Nehls formed an exploratory committee for Texas's 22nd congressional district in the 2018 elections against incumbent Republican Pete Olson, but decided in December 2017 not to run for that office.[8] In July 2019, he announced that he would not seek re-election as sheriff in 2020.[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 22

In mid-July 2019, Nehls created a website where he asked Fort Bend County residents whether he should run for Congress in the 22nd congressional district, which covers Katy, Sugar Land, and Pearland.[10] On July 25, 2019, Olson announced he would not seek re-election in 2020.[11] In December 2019, Nehls announced that he would run for a House seat.[12]

Nehls finished first in the March 2020 Republican primary election[13] with 40.5 percent of the vote. In the July runoff election against Kathaleen Wall, the second-place finisher in the primary, he won with 70% of the vote.[14][15] He faced Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni in the general election in November 2020.[15]

According to his campaign website, Nehls is running to improve mental and physical healthcare for veterans and to protect oil and gas jobs in Texas.[16] Two days after he became the nominee, the "Standing with President Trump" page on that website was removed.[17]

In the November general election, Nehls defeated Kulkarni by seven percent, 52% to 45%. He assumed office on January 3, 2021.[18][19]

Tenure

In his first week as a Member of Congress, Nehls and other Members were seen assisting U.S. Capitol Police barricade the door to the House floor from protesters during the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[20]

On January 7th, 2021, Nehls joined 121 other Members of Congress in supporting the objection of the 2020 electoral count.[21] On January 13, 2021, he voted against the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Committee assignments
  • U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure [22]
    • U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
    • U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
    • U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation
  • U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs[23]

Electoral history
Texas's 22nd congressional district: 2020 results[24][25]
Year Republican Votes Pct Democratic Votes Pct Libertarian Party Votes Pct
2020 Troy Nehls 204,537 51.7% Sri Preston Kulkarni 175,738 44.4% Joseph LeBlanc Libertarian 15,452 3.9%

Personal life

Nehls has a twin brother, Trever. Another brother, Todd, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is a former sheriff of Dodge County.[4] Trever succeeded Troy as a constable for Fort Bend County in 2013,[7] and won the Republican nomination to succeed him as the sheriff of Fort Bend County in March 2020.[26]

Nehls and his wife, Jill, an educator, have three daughters.[5]

References
  1. "Retiring sheriff leaves behind rich legacy after 16 years in office". fbindependent.com.
  2. Lewis, Brooke A. "Fort Bend makes history, elects Eric Fagan as first Black sheriff since Reconstruction". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  3. "Troy Nehls". Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. Sudhalter, Michael (June 15, 2012). "Nehls Twins' careers highlighted by dedication to public service". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  5. Magazine, Katy (June 1, 2019). "Sheriff Troy Nehls: A Legacy of Public Service". katymagazine. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. Schneider, Andrew (December 8, 2017). "Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls Won't Run For Congress in 2018". Houston Public Media.
  7. Emswiler, David (July 22, 2013). "Sheriff Troy Nehls: A career law enforcement officer who comes from a law enforcement family". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  8. McClellan, Theresa D. (December 13, 2017). "Sheriff won't run for Congress". Fort Bend Star. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. Lewis, Brooke A. (July 10, 2019). "Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls won't seek another term". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. Willey, Scott Reese (July 25, 2019). "Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls explores run for Congress". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  11. Tom Benning (July 25, 2019). "Sugar Land Rep. Pete Olson will not run for re-election in district expected to be competitive in 2020". Dallas News. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  12. Scherer, Jasper (December 8, 2019). "Fort Bend's Nehls announces bid for Congress". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  13. Nix, Kristi (March 4, 2020). "Nehls brothers, family members celebrate primary election results". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  14. Associated Press. AP: Troy Nehls defeats Kathaleen Wall in GOP primary runoff for Texas' 22nd Congressional District, KHOU 11, Houston, Texas, July 14, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  15. "Troy Nehls wins GOP primary in competitive Texas House district". TheHill. July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. Panetta, Madison Hall, Grace (August 28, 2020). "Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni faces off against Republican Troy Nehls in Texas' 22nd Congressional District". Business Insider.
  17. Scherer, Jasper (July 24, 2020). "His approval faltering, Republicans in battleground Houston districts start to distance from Trump". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  18. Sanchez, Carolina. Republican Troy Nehls defeats Sri Preston Kulkarni in Texas 22 race, FOX 26 Houston KRIV-TV, November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  19. Vella, Lauren (November 4, 2020). "Republican Fort Bend County Sheriff wins Texas House seat". TheHill. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  20. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/21/house-capitol-riots-lawmakers-stood-their-ground-460965
  21. 4:26 PM ET (January 7, 2021). "Here Are The Republicans Who Objected To The Electoral College Count : Insurrection At The Capitol: Live Updates". NPR. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  22. "Congressman Nehls Announces Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Assignment | Representative Troy Nehls". nehls.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  23. "Congressman Nehls Announces Veterans' Affairs Committee Assignment | Representative Troy Nehls". nehls.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  24. "2008 General Election Results". Secretary of State. State of Texas. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  25. "2018 General Election Results". Secretary of State. State of Texas. November 6, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  26. "Twin of Fort Bend County sheriff Troy Nehls wins GOP primary while deployed overseas". ABC13 Houston. March 4, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Pete Olson		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 22nd congressional district
January 3, 2021–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Frank J. Mrvan		 United States Representatives by seniority
419th		 Succeeded by
Marie Newman
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