County Republicans in Flap Over JP Race

A Young County sheriff ’s deputy withdrew his name from consideration for the Republican nomination for Precinct 1 justice of the peace after a county GOP precinct chair reportedly asked whether he “liked Muslims” and whether his police dog could be trained to attack Muslims.

Joshua Gallardo, a Young County deputy and K-9 handler, was one of four candidates interviewed by the Young County Republican Party’s executive committee to replace outgoing Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Jason Hearne on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Deputy Gallardo announced last week on social media that he was withdrawing from the Republican nomination process but would continue campaigning as a write-in candidate.

“Due to unprofessional and unethical remarks made during the nomination interview process, I have decided to remove myself from consideration for the Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1,” Deputy Gallardo wrote on Facebook. “I will remain a write-in candidate and leave the decision where I believe it belongs, in the hands of the voters of Young County.”

Young County Republican Party Chairman Lane Burgess confirmed in a TV news interview that an unidentified precinct chair asked Deputy Gallardo whether he liked Muslims and whether he could train his K-9 to attack them. Mr. Burgess declined to identify the committee member and had no further comment to the Olney Enterprise about the interview process.

In an interview with KAUZ-TV, Mr. Burgess quoted the precinct chair’s question as: “Well, do you think that dog could be trained on some of these Muslims and bite them?”

Mr. Burgess called the question a mistake but criticized Deputy Gallardo for not objecting during the closed interview. He also told KAUZ that he believed Deputy Gallardo was seeking a “sympathy vote” by making the incident public.

Deputy Gallardo told the station he was shocked by the question and said it conflicted with the principles that guide his work in law enforcement.

“It’s not with my morals,” Gallardo said. “I’ve spent my whole career — I don’t care what someone looks like, what they believe in; they should get treated the same.”

He said he disclosed the incident because he believes voters deserve transparency about how the party selected its nominee.

The committee subsequently selected Judge Hearne’s assistant, Chelsea Moore, to be the Republican candidate on the Nov. 3 ballot. Young County commissioners named Ms. Moore to fill in for Judge Hearne after he stepped down on June 19.

The incident comes as anti-Muslim rhetoric has become increasingly prominent in Texas Republican politics. In January, The Texas Tribune

reported that opposition to Islam had become a major campaign theme among some Republican candidates in statewide and congressional races. The report cited advertisements and statements portraying Muslim immigration and Islamic civic involvement as threats to Texas.