Judge KP George
Fort Bend County Judge KP George has made the switch from Democrat to Republican as he faces felony charges of money laundering.
George stated that he is joining the Republican Party because, “The Democratic Party has embraced a corrupt and radical ideology” and “its positions no longer reflect the values of Fort Bend County families, small businesses also hardworking residents.”
The Republican party, he said at a news conference Wednesday, is more aligned with his values of “faith, family and freedom.”
“I realized the Republican Party that champions these values,” he said. “I chose a side, and it turned out to be the wrong place, and I’m fixing that.”
George says that he plans to run for re-election in 2026 as a Republican.
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George, the county’s top elected official, is accused of money laundering between $30,000 and $150,000 in the form of campaign finance fraud that took place between Jan. 12, 2019 and April 22, 2019. George took office as county judge on Jan. 1 of that year.
George was also accused last year of trying to injure the reputation of Trever Nehls, George’s Republican opponent in his 2022 re-election bid, by collaborating with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel to create fake profiles to attack Nehls and his supporters.
Patel in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office on April 15 admitted that he committed online misrepresentation with George in order to sway the election in George’s favor.
See here, here, and here for some background. I’ve maintained all along that like everyone else, George is innocent until proven guilty, and I’m not going to change that tune just because he’s changed his stripes. That said, I think I speak for basically all Democrats when I say that we’re glad to have all that baggage off the books. A guy with multiple felony indictments running into the arms of the Republican Party? On brand, that’s for sure. I had previously said he should seriously consider stepping down so he could concentrate on getting his life back in order. Not going to happen now, obviously. Good luck in that Republican primary, dude.
KUHF adds some details.
George’s party change gives Republicans a 3-2 majority on the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court at a time when they are considering redrawing voters precincts in the diverse, largely suburban county southwest of Houston.
At a news conference Wednesday, George said redistricting is a priority for him as well as lowering taxes and decreasing spending.
“Like President (Donald) Trump, I will stand up and fight against the radical leftists who seek to tear down the values we hold very close to our heart,” he said.
Several Democrats have announced that they’re running for George’s seat in 2026. A former Sugar Land city council member has announced a run as a Republican and a former GOP state lawmaker also is considering a bid for the office.
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George’s former and current Republican political opponents condemned his change in party affiliation as a way to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.
“I was one of the people targeted in that smear campaign,” Trever Nehls, a Republican who ran for county judge in 2022, said in a statement while referencing the misrepresentation of identity charge against George. “I saw how low he was willing to go. This isn’t a shift in beliefs. It’s a calculated move to escape accountability.”
Former Sugar Land city council member Daniel Wong will face George in the Republican primary. Wong accused George of “running from his record.”
“The Republican Party stands for accountability, transparency and service,” Wong said in a statement. “It is not a refuge for career politicians looking to escape the consequences of their actions.”
Former state lawmaker Jacey Jetton, a Republican who’s also considering a bid for county judge, expressed similar sentiments.
“Trying to play the victim now is not a strategy Republican voters should fall for in a Republican primary,” he said. “And Fort Bend County voters are not going to reward this kind of behavior with another term.”
The re-redistricting threat, which Republicans never seem to get tired of, makes this all a little less funny. At least Tarrant County had the fig leaf of not having redrawn their precincts in 2021, when they were supposed to have done it. Whatever happens here happens, I can’t control it. With a bit of luck it can be held up in court long enough to be moot, if they do try to move forward. And boy, is that Republican primary going to be fun.