Tom Mechler
Tom Mechler | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas | |
| In office March 7, 2015 – May 20, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Munisteri |
| Succeeded by | James Dickey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1957 (age 64) |
| Spouse(s) | Tomoko Hayes Mechler (divorced 1997) Rebecca Hill Mechler (married 1999) |
| Children | 6 |
| Residence | Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University (BS) Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Thomas Richard Mechler (born November 1956), is an American engineer and entrepreneur as well as volunteer political organizer who served as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was chosen on the second secret ballot by the 62-member State Republican Executive Committee ("SREC") during its meeting in Austin on March 7, 2015, after the resignation of Steve Munisteri. Under Mechler's tenure, the GOP held all statewide offices in Texas and made gains in the GOP's effort to bring minority communities into the Republican Party.
Background[]
Mechler graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Texas A&M University in 1980 and an MBA degree in 1992 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[1]
Career[]
At the time of Mechler's election as State Chairman, Governor Greg Abbott said that he expected Mechler to "strengthen the party [and] continue the momentum of our state's Republican victories and preserve the very values that have made Texas the greatest state in the nation to live, work and raise a family."[2] To win the state chairmanship, Mechler defeated several intra-party rivals, including former vice chairman and current Republican National Committeeman Robin Armstrong, an African-American physician from Dickinson in Galveston County; Wade Emmert, the Dallas County party chairman, and Jared Woodfill, the former Harris County chairman known for his support of social conservatism. Woodfill was unseated as chairman in Harris County in 2014 by Paul Simpson.
In 2010, Munisteri defeated Cathie Adams at the party's state convention in Dallas, and Mechler was named the party treasurer and was credited with bringing stability to party finances. Mechler was elected in 2016 by delegates to the regular state Republican convention, which was held in Dallas from May 12–14.[2]
Mechler has been the Republican chairmen in two Texas counties,[3] one of which is Gray County, which includes Pampa, the second largest city in the Texas Panhandle. To succeed himself as party treasurer, Mechler tapped Republican activist and assistant treasurer Thomas Washington of Denton.[4]
In 2005, then-Governor Rick Perry appointed Mechler to the board of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where he served for nine years, the last five as the Board Vice-Chair. Mechler has served as a Volunteer Prison Chaplain since 2002.[2] On June 25, 2021, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice voted to rename the Tulia Unit in Tulia, Texas the Thomas R. Mechler Unit in Mechler's honor.[5]
Mechler has been a grassroots leader since first becoming involved in Republican Party politics in 1986 in Wasilla, Alaska where he was first elected as a Precinct Chair, followed by his election as the District 16 Vice-Chair and subsequently becoming the District 16 Chair and member of the Alaska Republican State Central Committee. He held these positions until leaving Alaska to attend the Wharton Business School in 1990. He became reinvolved as a Republican grassroots leader when he was elected the Gray County GOP Chair in 1993 (Pampa, Texas), a position he held until he moved to Armstrong County in 2000. He became the County Chair in Claude, Texas in 2001, serving for a year when he was elected to the Texas State Republican Executive Committee ("SREC") where he served from 2002 to 2006. Mechler first became involved in politics because of his strong pro-life beliefs which he continues to hold to this day.
In his statement of resignation as state Republican chairman, Mechler cited time constraints and business and family matters. Having worked in 2016 to unify the Donald Trump and Ted Cruz factions in the Texas GOP, Mechler called for party unity and outreach in his departing statement. A successor for a two-year term was chosen on June 3 at the state Republican Executive Committee meeting in Austin. Candidates who sought the position were Travis County chairman James Dickey, Rick Figueroa of Brenham, and Mark Ramsey, a state committee member from Spring in Harris County.[6]
The 62-member State Republican Executive Committee and the vice chair narrowly chose Dickey to succeed Mechler. Dickey polled thirty-two votes to thirty-one for rival Rick Figueroa.[7]
References[]
- ^ "Thomas R. Mechler". intelius.com. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c Rosenthal, Brian M. (March 8, 2015). "Tom Mechler elected new leader of Texas Republican Party". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ "Tom Mechler's File". politifact.com. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ "Tom Mechler Is New State Party Chairman", jackcountygop.com, March 17, 2015
- ^ https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/news/tdcj_renames_units.html
- ^ Patrick Svitek (May 20, 2017). "Texas GOP Chairman Tom Mechler resigns". KVUE and The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ Sonja Harris (June 5, 2017). "Texas Has a New Republican Party Chair - James Dickey". Texasgopvote.com. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
External links[]
- 1956 births
- Living people
- People from Claude, Texas
- People from Colfax County, New Mexico
- People from Pampa, Texas
- Politicians from San Antonio
- People from Navarro County, Texas
- People from Wasilla, Alaska
- Politicians from Amarillo, Texas
- Texas Republican state chairmen
- Texas Republicans
- American energy industry businesspeople
- Texas A&M University alumni
- Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni