Early voting results prove Kerr County’s red credentials, write-in candidate fails to gain traction in county clerk race

Texas affirmed its red credentials on Tuesday night by solidly standing behind former President Donald Trump with 56% of the vote over Kamala Harris. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz rolled over Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred by 13 percentage points.

Kerr County results, delayed by having to account for a write-in candidate for county clerk, didn’t materialize until after 10 p.m. The results cast little doubt on Kerr County’s Republican credentials, with Trump easily carrying the state and beating his 2020 performance.

The complex tale of the county clerk’s job was the most significant race to watch in the Kerr County races because it involved a last-minute effort by We The People, Liberty In Action, to take over the elections office with write-in candidate Danny Holcomb. Where the tale gets tangled is that Ian Collum, who resigned from the position in May after winning the March Republican primary, easily won the contest with 81% of the vote.

Collum was appointed to the position last year after Jackie Dowdy resigned when she faced the prospect of having to run the elections. Collum resigned two days before the Kerrville municipal election. The Kerr County Commissioners Court appointed Nadene Alford, the longtime deputy to Tax Assessor/Collector Bob Reeves, to run the clerk’s office.

It’s unlikely that Collum will return to the position, leaving Judge Rob Kelly with the task of sorting the appointment out with the court.

In other Kerr County races:

• Despite Republican Party interference in a nonpartisan election, Jeff Wendling won the Precinct 1 race for the Headwaters Groundwater Conservation District over Mario Garcia, who the GOP and We The People backed. However, the race for the at-large position between Jerry Wolff, backed by the GOP and We The People, and incumbent board member John Elliott was too close to call. Elliott held a slight lead over Wolff thanks to a strong showing in mail-in ballots.
• With four trustee positions available, the Center Point Independent School District’s board of trustees race was too close to call after early voting. However, Allen Kaiser held a substantial lead for one of the positions.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents Kerr County in the 21st Congressional District, easily won his race against Democrat Kristin Hook, who faced an uphill battle against a heavily gerrymandered district in Roy’s favor.