The Dallas County Republican Party which has been distracted by infighting, drama surrounding Allen West’s departure and litigation over county-wide voting needs an experienced, respected local leader. It needs Tami Brown Rodriguez .
Dallas County Republicans face a defining decision on June 25.
The question before precinct chairs is not simply who can hold the title of county chair. The question is who can do the work – specifically fundraising which is the top priority of the party chair in order to have the funds necessary to get-out-the-vote (GOTV) in November to help defend the party’s 32-year control of Texas’ statewide offices.
Defending the top of the ballot strongly influences down-ballot races, where Republicans want to make progress locally and chip away at Dallas County’s deep blue electoral dominance.
Dallas County is one of the largest counties in the United States and one of the most difficult political environments for Republicans in Texas. Winning here requires more than name recognition, speeches, or good intentions. It requires an experienced operator who can fundraise, establish and build donor confidence, recruit and train volunteers, support candidates, organize precincts, prepare election workers, strengthen election integrity efforts, and execute a clear strategy for growth.
The No. 1 skill required of a county chair is fundraising.
Without resources, the party cannot compete. Candidates lack support. Volunteers lack training. Election operations suffer. Grassroots energy goes underutilized. Voter contact becomes harder. The county party becomes reactive instead of strategic.
Fundraising is not just asking for money during election season. It requires trust, relationships, credibility, planning, execution and consistency. Donors need confidence that their investment will support a serious operation. Candidates need confidence that the county party can help them compete. Precinct chairs and volunteers need tools, training, communication, and support.
The success model is literally next door to Dallas in both Collin and Tarrant Counties. Collin is reliably Republican due to its expansive grassroots volunteer operation that functions year-round, leading to high voter turnout. Tarrant County is the largest urban red county in America. Former Tarrant party chairman, Bo French, raised well over a million dollars in the 2024 election cycle and used the money to expand Republican margins county-wide for the first cycle in years. He is poised to be elected Texas’ next Railroad Commissioner.
Tami Brown Rodriquez is the best and only choice.
Tami has spent years doing the work inside the Dallas County Republican Party. Her service has included roles as precinct chair, vice chair, chair, training committee chair, poll watcher, campaign volunteer, and election integrity advocate. She has worked directly with donors, precinct chairs, candidates, election workers, judges, poll watchers, and grassroots volunteers.
In other words, Dallas County does not need a figurehead. It needs an experienced operator.
That distinction matters.
The county chair is not a ceremonial position. The chair is responsible for helping build the infrastructure that Republican candidates depend on. That starts with raising the resources necessary to compete, but it also includes building precinct-level organization, recruiting and training volunteers, preparing election judges and poll watchers, strengthening ballot security efforts, communicating with grassroots activists, and helping the party compete in every part of Dallas County.
Those responsibilities cannot be learned overnight. They require experience, relationships, judgment, and a proven record of execution.
This is especially true after the challenges our county party has faced this year. Dallas County Republicans cannot afford confusion, disorganization, or symbolic leadership. We need steady hands, operational competence, and a chair who understands how the party actually functions from the precinct level up.
That is why experience must matter in this race.
Tami’s record has earned support from a broad coalition of conservative leaders, including Sen. Mayes Middleton, Reps. David Lowe, Matt Shaheen, and Shelley Luther, Debbie Georgatos, SREC members Chris Byrd and Rachel Horton, county chairs Melinda Preston, John Berry, and Rachel Hale, along with Doug Deason, Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Caruth III, Mary Flynn O’Neill, Cindi Castilla, Denise Lyman, Dee Holley, Clark B. Will, and Barry Wernick.
Over the past several years, Tami has helped build the operational foundation Republican candidates rely on in Dallas County. Her record includes working on and fundraising for more than 40 campaigns, training for thousands of precinct chairs and election workers, and creating dozens of training events in the past 24 months alone.
Those numbers matter because they represent the unglamorous work that wins elections.
Campaigns are not won by titles. They are won by resources, trained volunteers, voter contact, election workers, precinct organization, donor confidence, and people willing to show up when it counts. A county party that cannot raise money and organize that work will not compete effectively, no matter how strong the top of the ticket may be.
Dallas County Republicans have seen recent signs of momentum. In the most recent runoff election, Republican turnout exceeded Democrat turnout, with more than 73,000 Republicans participating compared to approximately 69,000 Democrats.
That kind of progress is not accidental. It comes from preparation, grassroots engagement, voter contact, fundraising, and operational execution.
Now is not the time for on-the-job training.
Many precinct chairs are asking reasonable questions in this race. What has each candidate done inside the Dallas County Republican Party? Who has a proven fundraising history? Who has built donor confidence? Who has trained volunteers? Who has supported candidates? Who has built precinct organizations? Who has worked elections? Who understands the mechanics of county party operations? Who has demonstrated the ability to lead in difficult moments?
The next chair must be prepared to manage a large and complex organization. Dallas County has a political environment that demands serious strategy. The chair must be able to raise money, unite grassroots activists, support Republican nominees, work with elected officials, strengthen election integrity operations, and build a party capable of competing long term.
This election should not be about who can generate the most attention in the final days before the vote.
It should be about who has already done the work. Tami has a proven history, is respected by both local and statewide elected officials, and has critical experience fundraising at scale. She has the donor network to give Dallas County an opportunity to start to compete more effectively and turn independents and moderate Democrats into Republican voters.
Republicans in Dallas County need a chair who understands that leadership is service, not status. We need a chair who can raise money, organize, train, recruit, solve problems, support candidates, and execute. We need someone who has been present in the trenches, not merely present on a ballot.
Dallas County is essential to the future of Texas, and the stakes are too high for anything less.
On June 25, precinct chairs should choose experienced operational leadership over symbolism. They should choose proven service over last-minute visibility. They should choose the candidate who has demonstrated the discipline, relationships, experience, and commitment necessary to lead the Dallas County Republican Party at this critical moment.
Dallas County Republicans do not need a figurehead.
We need an experienced operator. We need Tami.
About the author: Kathy Ward is a former Collin County Republican Party chair, former Collin County commissioner, and former Texas Young Republicans chairman.
The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Dallas Express, its editors, or its staff.
