Texas Democratic Party Chairman Cites Fight Against Voter Suppression, ICE Detention Center as Factors
FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert Jr. received the Texas Democratic Party’s “Elected Official of the Year” award Saturday, September 19, at the Johnson-Jordan Dinner in Fort Worth, where former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg delivered the keynote address.
The award recognizes his work protecting voting rights, challenging a planned federal immigration detention facility and delivering public investments in Bexar County.
“Commissioner Tommy Calvert has earned this recognition through years of turning public service into tangible results for the people of Bexar County,” said Kendall Scudder, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. “He understands that elected office is not about titles, it is about delivering for your community, protecting people’s rights and creating opportunity.”
“Throughout my life, I have been the underdog, and that is why I always fight for the underdog,” Calvert said in accepting the award. “I am proud to have helped keep our freedom and democracy alive in Texas.”
Calvert also called out Bo French, the former Tarrant County GOP chairman now running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, and urged the crowd to turn out in November for gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa and U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico.
“Let us remember, Bo French, that there is no white, no black, no brown—but one race, the human race,” Calvert said.
Defending Voting Rights and Challenging Detention
After Bexar County switched to the state’s TEAM voter registration software, more than 70,000 applications were left unprocessed. Calvert pushed for roughly $450,000 to clear the backlog, pressed for a switch to the private-sector VR Systems, and brought together roughly 100 civil rights organizations to train election monitors.
He also secured passage of Resolution No. 7 at the Democratic National Committee’s April meeting in New Orleans opposing a planned ICE detention facility in Precinct 4, followed by a Commissioners Court resolution opposing the facility and supporting exploration of legal challenges.
A Decade of Results
As Dean of Commissioners Court, Calvert has delivered nine medical facilities in Precinct 4 over ten years, with two $450 million University Health hospitals he proposed opening in 2027. Before entering office, he helped free more than 6,000 people held in slavery in Sudan.
Lisa Jackson
Director of Public Relations
+1 210-335-2614
lisa.jackson@bexar.org
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SOURCE Office of Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert
