Schmidt elected to full term as Gonzales County sheriff

Gonzales County Sheriff Keith Schmidt will get a full term beginning in January for the job he first stepped into in September 2021 following the death of the late Sheriff Robert Ynclan.

Schmidt, a Republican, was overwhelmingly elected Tuesday, Nov. 5, as he defeated Democrat challenger Clay Allen, a local rancher and former chief deputy, for the second time since 2022. Schmidt gained 5,516 votes to just 1,839 for Allen.

“Thank you to every one that voted for me,” Schmidt said. “I am truly humbled by your vote of confidence, and I promise to continue working hard as your Sheriff. As your Sheriff, we will continue to provide the best quality law enforcement services to our constituents in a professional, transparent and ethical manner.

“Rest assured, my staff and I are dedicated to this role with the utmost honor, integrity, and respect. It is a privilege to do so, and we look forward to working together to provide you with exemplary public service.”

Also on the ballot, Republican Alan Schoolcraft won the Texas House 44 seat, defeating Democrat Eric Norman, while a voter-approval tax rate election in Yoakum ISD failed by 74 votes.

Sheriff

Schmidt was the fire chief in Gonzales when he was tapped by Gonzales County commissioners to serve on an interim basis following the passing of Ynclan, a beloved retired state trooper who was elected sheriff in November 2020. Allen was one of the other men who was considered by the court as a possible successor.

To finish out the remainder of Ynclan’s four-year term, Schmidt then had to win the Republican nomination in March 2022 by defeating William Miller and squared off against Allen in the November 2022 general election. At that time, he took a 2,000-vote lead after early voting and ended up winning by 3,113 votes.

Schmidt ran unopposed this year in the Republican primary and again faced Allen in the November general election. This time around, Schimdt’s early vote lead swelled to 3,110 — just three votes less than he won by in 2022.

House 44

Schoolcraft, a former state representative, had unseated incumbent Rep. John Kuempel in a GOP primary runoff earlier this year. Schoolcraft was handpicked by several top Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, both of whom had targeted Kuempel due to the incumbent’s votes against Abbott’s school voucher plan and for his vote to impeach Paxton last year.

The Republican candidate received 57,278 votes to 30,658 votes for Norman. That included 5,544 votes in Gonzales County and 51,734 votes in Guadalupe County for Schoolcraft, compared to 1,674 votes in Gonzales County and 28,894 in Guadalupe County for Norman. Turnout was 61.21 percent overall.

Yoakum ISD

Yoakum ISD was seeking to set an ad valorem tax rate of $1.00059 for the current year, which will result in a 1.66 percent increase in the maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for an additional $857,208.

Overall in the three counties Yoakum ISD served, the measured failed, 1,477-1,404. Gonzales voters rejected the measure, 14-13, while DeWitt County voters rejected it by a 781-665 margin. Lavaca County voters went 726-682 in favor.

The district now must quickly convene a school board meeting to adopt a tax rate that aligns with the voter-approval tax rate and amend the budget accordingly.

Uncontested races
A number of races on the Gonzales County ballot featured uncontested races and these individuals were  elected without opposition to office. These include 25^th District Judge (Bill Old), 2^nd 25^th District Judge (Jessica Richard Crawford), County Attorney (Eduardo “Eddie” Xavier Escobar), Tax Assessor-Collector (Crystal Cedillo), Precinct 1 Commissioner (Anton W. “Tony” Matias), Precinct 3 Commissioner (Roy A. Staton), Precinct 1 Constable (Johnnie Hall), Precinct 3 Constable (Derek Johnson) and Precinct 4 Constable (John J. Moreno).

A total of 7,792 ballots were cast in Gonzales County for a turnout of 58.71 percent, as 5,941 people cast their ballot during early voting, 283 by absentee ballot and 1,568 on election day. There was also one apparently blank ballot.