Keough poised to upset Doyal in county judge race
GOP incumbent faces charges in Open Meetings case
State Rep. Mark Keough, exploiting the vulnerability of an opponent under criminal indictment, appeared headed for a stunning victory over Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal in a sharply contested Republican primary Tuesday.
With most precincts reporting, Keough, 64, a two-term state representative representing a district based in The Woodlands, held a comfortable lead over Doyal. His campaign for county judge, focused on property taxes, ethics and opposition to toll roads, attracted the support of local tea party groups.
Doyal, 56, in his fourth year as the county’s chief executive, campaigned for a second term on his record of cutting the tax rate, limiting spending and guiding the county’s response to Hurricane Harvey and other floods.
Just weeks before the primary, however, a state appeals court reinstated misdemeanor charges alleging that Doyal, Commissioner Charlie Riley and a political consultant violated the Texas Open Meetings Act in 2015. A district judge had dismissed the charges after finding part of the law unconstitutional.
A primary victory would virtually assure Keough of claiming the county judge position in the overwhelmingly conservative, Republican county north of Houston. The lone Democratic candidate, Jay Stittleburg, a project manager in the oil and gas industry, has about $3,200 in campaign funds available compared to almost $94,000 for Keough, based on their most recent filings.
Two county commissioners, Riley of Precinct 2 and Jim Clark of Precinct 4, appeared headed for runoffs against GOP primary opponents. And Melanie Bush, the president of the Conroe ISD board, held a commanding lead over the county treasurer, Stephanne Davenport, in the GOP primary.
Riley held a slim lead over two opponents; Greg Parker, a former Comal County commissioner, appeared headed for the second spot in the runoff. The winner will compete against Ron Keichline, a management systems auditor, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Clark was running second in his three-person primary race, behind Justice of the Peace James Metts. No Democrat sought the position in Precinct 4.
Keough, who announced last May that he would challenge Doyal, pledged to improve ethics and transparency in county government. This theme gained momentum when the charges against Doyal were reinstated in late February.
Keough’s campaign sent out several mailers focused on the indictment. One featured an image of Doyal behind bars, with a bag of cash in the foreground. (Doyal has not been accused of any crimes involving money, and no one can be jailed based on an indictment.)
Asked about the mailers in an interview prior to election day, Keough said, “I have a consulting company that does these things for me.”
He added: “Doyal has had no problem telling lies about some of my stuff.”
Bush, the winner of the GOP primary for county treasurer, will face Mandy Sunderland, the lone Democratic candidate, in November. Republican County Clerk Mark Turnbull won renomination, while Melisa Miller won the GOP nomination to replace retiring District Clerk Barbara Adamack.