Troy Nehls


Troy E. Nehls is an American law enforcement officer. He is the sheriff for Fort Bend County, Texas. He is the Republican nominee in the 2020 elections seeking to represent in the United States House of Representatives.

Early life and education

Nehls was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. His father, Edwin Nehls, served in the Korean War and as sheriff of Dodge County, Wisconsin. Troy enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1988. He served tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and earned two Bronze Stars. He earned his bachelor's degree from Liberty University and a master's degree in criminal justice from University of Houston–Downtown.

Career

Nehls moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1994, and joined the police department for Richmond, Texas. He retired from the Army Reserve at the rank of major in 2009.
Nehls was elected constable for Fort Bend County in 2004, while he was serving in Iraq. He was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County in November 2012 and took office in January 2013. He formed an exploratory committee for in the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 elections against Pete Olson, but opted not to run. He announced that he would not run for reelection in the 2020 elections in July 2019. Nehls established an exploratory committee for the House of Representatives again. Olson announced he would not seek reelection in 2020, and Nehls announced his campaign in December 2019. After receiving the most votes in the March 2020 primary election, Nehls advanced to a runoff election against Kathaleen Wall, the second place finisher. Nehls decisively defeated Wall in the July runoff to win the Republican nomination, and will face Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni in the general election in November 2020.

Personal life

Nehls has a twin brother, Trever. Another brother, Todd, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is sheriff for Dodge County. Trever succeeded Troy as a constable for Fort Bend County in 2013, and won the Republican nomination to succeed him as the sheriff of Fort Bend County in March 2020. Nehls and his wife, Jill, have three daughters.