A Texas Ranger will Become Tom Green County's Next Sheriff

SAN ANGELO, TX — J. Nick Hanna will be the next Sheriff of Tom Green County. The recently retired Texas Ranger was appointed Chief Deputy Sheriff by outgoing Sheriff David Jone late last year immediately after Hanna’s retirement from the State of Texas.

Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Keith Muncey challenged Hanna and ran a spirited campaign focusing to community policing and promising a concerted effort to promote from within the Sheriff’s Office. He argued this will enhance morale by providing more career paths for Sheriff’s Office lawmen.

Hanna ran on his experience fighting crime and running criminal investigations, promising citizens more of the same as under David Jones who was a former intelligence officer with the Texas DPS. Jones, like Hanna, have the image as being no-nonsense crimefighters.

In the end, citizens seemed to be satisfied with this and didn’t see a reason to change. They voted for the tough lawman in a landslide. Hanna walked into the Republican nomination with 63.38 percent of the vote versus 36.62 percent for Muncey. There is no Democratic Party nominee for Tom Green County Sheriff. Hanna will likely win the uncontested November election and be sworn in by January 2021 unless Sheriff David Jones decides to step down early.

In other contested races, State Rep. Drew Darby easily dispatched challenger Lynette Lucas with 86.72 percent of the vote.

Upstart politician Cary Houston joined a long line of those defeated attempting to topple longtime Tom Green County Commissioner Ralph Hoelscher. Hoelscher won re-election with 65.79 percent of the vote. There is no Democratic Party candidate for Pct. 1 Commissioner.

Facing no opposition were all of the district judges, 51st District Judge Carmen Dusek, 391st District Judge Brad Goodwin, 340th District Judge Jay Weatherby, and 119th District Judge Ben Woodward were all nominated as Republican candidates and will be re-elected in November, all running unopposed by a Democratic Party candidate.

District Attorneys Allison Palmer (51st) and John Best (119th) also won unopposed and have no competition in November.

Tom Green County Republicans loved President Donald Trump, voting 94.4 percent to nominate him to run again in November. He will face a Democrat not yet determined.

In Tom Green County former Vice President Joe Biden won the primary with 38.7 percent of the vote. Bernie Sanders won 28.73 percent of the vote.

In all, 4,145 Democrats and 14,409 Republicans voted in the Tom Green County super Tuesday Primary, bringing the total turnout to 18,554 voters.

The 2016 primary attracted 2,962 Democrats and 16,720 Republicans, and the total votes cast four years ago was 19,682. Four years ago, Tom Green County handed Trump a huge loss to Ted Cruz in the primary. Cruz won with 43.33 percent to Trump’s 25.12 percent for the Republican nomination for president.

How things change.

Election Results

State Representative, District 72

Sheriff, Tom Green County

County Commissioner, Tom Green County Pct 1