Election Round-Up: Sammy Farmer Wins Republican Nod for County Commissioner

SAN ANGELO, TX — Sammy Farmer, flanked by friends, family and campaign workers, thanked his supporters Tuesday night after San Angelo LIVE! declared him the winner of the Republican primary election for Tom Green County Commissioner Precinct 2 with just under 5,000 votes counted.

Farmer defeated Tana Sue Pyssen, also a newcomer to the county’s political contests. With 100 percent of the votes counted, the County Elections office showed Farmer winning the precinct 1,493 to Pyssen’s 1,252 votes, or 54.39 percent to 45.61 percent.

Farmer turned to his best friend, John Conn, and said he’d never had made it without his help and support. He also told Stephen McLaughlin, his ad guy, that everything worked as Stephen promised. “I listened to this guy, and he was right every time. Stephen, I’d recommend you to anyone. My highest recommendation.”

Farmer had the highest praise for his wife, Jeana. “She said if I decide to run, she would be all-in,” Farmer said. “And boy was she all-in!”

Tana Sue Pyssen said she may have lost, but the experience earned her many more friends. She knocked on 1,600 doors in the precinct. She called Farmer at around 10 p.m. to concede the election after the second-to-last election results were posted. Pyssen said her love of her community and desire to serve it motivated her to run. Will she run again? “Well, I intend to continue to be a very active member of the Concho Valley Republican Women,” she said. Coming within 241 votes of winning the election was an accomplishment.

Farmer thanked Pyseen for running a very good campaign.

Farmer will be on the ballot in November to replace Aubrey De Cordova in the Tom Green County Commissioner Court Precinct 2 seat. De Cordova did not seek re-election.

Among the big winners with Tom Green County voters in statewide primaries Tuesday were Democrat for U.S. Senate Beto O’Rourke. O’Rourke brought his insurgent campaign to San Angelo last August and one other time subsequently. The effort paid dividends with Tom Green County Democrats. He won with 75.01 percent of the vote.

O’Rourke may have trouble toppling incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz who attracted 6,190 votes compared to O’Rourke’s 1,342 in the county.

Texas Land Commission George P. Bush and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller both won handily in the county Republican contest, 71.47 percent and 55.27 percent respectively countywide.

All Democrat candidates for governor held a forum in San Angelo leading up to the election. Tom Green County Democrats narrowly chose Andrew White, son of the late Texas Governor Mark White, 33.33 percent to former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez’ 32.98 percent. Statewide, Valdez defeated White by 15 points, 42.2 percent to 27.7 percent. The two will meet again in a runoff for the Democratic nomination to try to unseat Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

Abbott is extremely popular in the county. He attracted 91.58 percent of the vote, or 6505 votes. Democrats White and Valdez attracted a little over 1100 votes combined in the county.

The following are Tom Green County unofficial results from both the Democrat and Republican primaries on March 6, 2018: