Texas Young Republicans Leader Resigns Over Senate Vote

Hillary Shepheard, who chaired the Young Republicans in Tarrant County, Texas, has resigned from that post and the governing panel of the Texas Young Republican Federation. In a letter sent on Saturday, she said she stood by her stated plans for the election, which is days away.

Shepheard said she would leave the Senate race blank rather than vote for Republican Ken Paxton, and would back Democrat James Rosenthal instead of Republican Bo French in the contest for Railroad Commission. French has advocated executing former President Barack Obama by hanging and made racist remarks about Indian-American students at the University of Texas.

The federation’s rules prohibit board members from publicly declaring plans to support a non-Republican in a partisan contest. Shepheard said she had not known about the rule before, but accepted it. She said resigning was the right step for the organization and would allow her club to retain its full voting voice on the board.

Shepheard described her choice as difficult, but said she could not set aside her principles: limited government, free speech and the importance of candidates’ character. She said she remains a Republican and hopes party members who make a different choice in a particular race can be treated with understanding rather than pressured into silence.

Her letter did not identify the candidates or races involved and included no response from the federation. Shepheard said she would help with the transition by handing over club records, accounts and contacts.