Tom Mechler
| Thomas Richard "Tom" Mechler | |
|---|---|
| Republican Party of Texas state chairman | |
|
Assumed office March 7, 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Steve Munisteri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1957 Place of birth missing |
| Spouse(s) | Tomoko Hayes Mechler (divorced 1997) Rebecca Lynn Hill Mechler (married 1999) |
| Children | Mitsziko Mechler Mote Melea Mechler Bonasso Michalla Mechler Stalder Michael Jeremiah Mechler Crystal Wilde McCallie (step) Justin Jerome Wilde (step) |
| Residence | Amarillo, Texas, USA |
| Alma mater | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Thomas Richard Mechler, known as Tom Mechler (born c. 1957), a petroleum and natural gas consultant from Amarillo, Texas, is the current chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was chosen on the 2nd secret ballot by the 62-member Republican State Executive Committee meeting in Austin on March 7, 2015, after the resignation of Steve Munisteri of Houston, who had been the chairman since 2010. The GOP holds all statewide offices in Texas.
Mechler's place of birth is not available. He graduated with an engineering degree from Texas A&M University in College Station and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has formerly resided in connection with his employment in Wasilla, Alaska and in Texas: San Antonio, Claude, Pampa, and Amarillo.
To win the state chairmanship, Mechler defeated several intraparty 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 Mechler at the party's state convention in Dallas, and Mechler instead 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. At the state convention on May 13, 2016, held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Mechler turned back another challenge from Jared Woodfill, the former Harris County chairman, in the race for a full term as Texas GOP chairman. The race had become heated when Dr. Steven F. Hotze, a Woodfill supporter from Houston, said that Mechler supported a "disgusting homosexual agenda", a charge that former chairman Steve Munisteri called "despicable". Woodfill withdrew when twenty-seven of the thirty-one state Senate districts supported Mechler's retention and declared his own backing of Mechler.
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