Troy Nehls
Troy E. Nehls (born April 7, 1968) is an American politician and law enforcement officer. He is the sheriff for Fort Bend County, Texas. He is the Republican nominee in the 2020 elections seeking to represent Texas's 22nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
Troy Nehls | |
---|---|
Sheriff of Fort Bend County | |
Assumed office January 1, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Milton Wright[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S. | April 7, 1968
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Jill |
Children | 3 |
Education | Liberty University (BA) University of Houston–Downtown (MA) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | |
Branch/service | |
Years of service | 1988–2009 |
Unit | United 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.[2] Troy enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1988. He served tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and earned two Bronze Stars.[2] He earned his bachelor's degree from Liberty University and a master's degree in criminal justice from University of Houston–Downtown.[3]
Career
Nehls moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1994, and joined the police department for Richmond, Texas.[3] He retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of major in 2009.[2]
Nehls was elected constable for Fort Bend County in 2004, while he was serving in Iraq.[2] He was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County in November 2012 and took office in January 2013.[4] He formed an exploratory committee for Texas's 22nd congressional district in the 2018 elections against Pete Olson, but opted not to run.[5] He announced that he would not seek re-election as sheriff in July 2019.[6] Nehls then established an exploratory committee for the House of Representatives again.[7] Olson announced he would not seek re-election in 2020, and Nehls announced his campaign in December 2019.[8] After receiving the most votes in the March 2020 primary election, Nehls advanced to a runoff election against Kathaleen Wall, the second-place finisher.[9] Nehls decisively defeated Wall in the July runoff to win the Republican nomination, and will face Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni in the general election in November 2020.[10]
Personal life
Nehls has a twin brother, Trever. Another brother, Todd, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is sheriff for Dodge County.[2] Trever succeeded Troy as a constable for Fort Bend County in 2013,[4] and won the Republican nomination to succeed him as the sheriff of Fort Bend County in March 2020.[11] Nehls and his wife, Jill, have three daughters.[3]
References
- "Retiring sheriff leaves behind rich legacy after 16 years in office". fbindependent.com.
- Sudhalter, Michael (June 15, 2012). "Nehls Twins' careers highlighted by dedication to public service". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- Magazine, Katy (June 1, 2019). "SHERIFF TROY NEHLS: A Legacy of Public Service". katymagazine. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- 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.
- McClellan, Theresa D. (December 13, 2017). "Sheriff won't run for Congress". Fort Bend Star. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- Lewis, Brooke A. (July 10, 2019). "Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls won't seek another term". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- Willey, Scott Reese. "Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls explores run for Congress". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- Scherer, Jasper (December 8, 2019). "Fort Bend's Nehls announces bid for Congress". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- Nix, Kristi (March 4, 2020). "Nehls brothers, family members celebrate primary election results". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "Troy Nehls wins GOP primary in competitive Texas House district". TheHill. July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- "Twin of Fort Bend County sheriff Troy Nehls wins GOP primary while deployed overseas". ABC13 Houston. March 4, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.