Rep.-elect Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22)

Date of birth: April 7, 1968
Residence: Richmond, Texas
Occupation: Fort Bend County Sheriff
Education: B.A., Liberty University; M.A., University of Houston-Downtown
Family: wife, Jill; three children

Troy Nehls will represent Texas’s 22nd Congressional District after defeating Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni in a competitive race.

Nehls has a long history as a law enforcement officer. Acting as Fort Bend County’s sheriff since 2013 and constable eight years prior to that, Nehls led programs from mental health awareness to job training for inmates that he said led to decreased recidivism and crime rates. Nehls also served for 21 years in the Army Reserve, where he received two Bronze Star medals.

Outside of law enforcement, Nehls is a member of several local volunteer efforts, including the Rosenberg, Texas, Veterans of Foreign Wars post and the Exchange Club of Sugar Land.

Nehls’s platform focused on job growth, the Texas energy sector and mental health awareness. He also expressed disagreement with a ban on fossil fuels and said that the country can support clean energy while safeguarding key job infrastructure to Texans.

– Lillian Bautista