New Chairman – Brad Boney
Fellow Republicans,
It is an honor to serve as the new Chairman of the Galveston County Republican Party. I want to thank Dr. Pat McGinnis for his leadership, dedication, and faithful service to our Party. Pat has truly been “fighting the good fight,” strengthening our organization and advancing Republican principles. We are grateful for his service and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his journey.
As I assume this responsibility, my vision is straightforward: focus on the fundamental purpose of our Party and do it well. That means growing our Party, conducting robust primaries, and supporting our Republican nominees through the general election.
Our job is to identify, encourage, and support Republicans willing to step forward and serve. We must continually build our bench of future leaders – to keep “stacking cordwood” by finding good people, helping them prepare to run for office, and ensuring they have the support needed to succeed.
Just as importantly, we must remember that while primaries are contests among Republicans, November is a contest of ideas and values. Healthy debate during primary season makes us stronger. But once the final primary vote is cast, the campaign within the Party is over. It is time to unite behind our nominees and focus on defeating the Left. Failure to support our Republican ticket in November risks surrendering the very policies and principles we have worked so hard to advance.
Success requires commitment
A strong party is built by people who contribute. Some contribute financially. Others contribute their time, talents, and expertise. We need both. Winning elections requires resources, volunteers, and Republicans willing to get involved.
I am asking every Republican in Galveston County to consider what they can bring to the table. Whether it’s fundraising, candidate recruitment, precinct work, event support, voter outreach, or professional expertise, there is a place for you on our team.
Galveston County has become a model for conservative leadership in Texas. Few counties can point to the record of success we have achieved – from conservative victories in cities and school districts, to major accomplishments at the county level, to the strong leadership provided by our state elected officials. Time and again, Galveston County has led the way in advancing conservative principles and delivering results.
The rest of Texas takes notice. When conservative reforms are discussed, when elections are won, and when local government is transformed, Galveston County is often leading the conversation. We have earned that reputation through hard work, unity, and commitment—and we intend to keep it.
Our future will be determined by what we accomplish together. If we stay focused on our mission, support our candidates, and engage Republicans across Galveston County, I am confident our best days are ahead.
Thank you for your support, your involvement, and your commitment to Republican values. Now, let’s get to work.
Respectfully,
W. Brad Boney
Chairman
Chairman Patrick J. McGinnis, MD
Continuity and Change
Dear Friends:
My 3rd term and 6th year as the Galveston County Republican Party Chairman is coming to a close. The occasion offers me time to reflect on my accomplishments and the challenges that remain.
“My accomplishments” really means our accomplishments. Credit must go to the hard-working Party officers and precinct chairs, the indefatigable energies of the GRW, CCRW, and other Clubs, an untold number of volunteers, and the know-how of our excellent elected officials. I’m proud to say that we have stayed focused on the big picture. That is — keeping Galveston County Republican Red! As I look back on the general election results and the average across our Republican candidates, we’ve increased the Republican share of the vote from approximately 60% to approximately 64%. One of the impacts of that is that our Democratic opponents hardly fielded any candidates for local offices in the upcoming general election. Therefore, all our fellow citizens will be rewarded with continued honest, competent, good governance. On the other hand, there are still challenges yet to be solved.
One of my goals was to establish a viable HQ office space. We had that for over a year in League City. It was very visible along FM 518. We hosted numerous meetings and events there. It was a great asset as we approached the election seasons. But unfortunately, I was unable to match that with an increase in our overall fundraising. So, we made the prudent financial decision to scale back on that office space. I’m thankful that League City Mayor Nick Long was able to offer us another affordable place to call home for our HQ, along with a storage area.
Another goal was to bring some continuity and stability to the County Executive Committee. You may recall that when I ran for office in 2020, there had been some consternation and poor publicity surrounding the GCRP. I’m happy to say that we have reestablished trust and goodwill with our local elected officials. Over these six years, many have thanked me for bringing that stability to the Party. And our reputation now extends beyond Galveston County, as evidenced by Governor Abbott keynoting our Lincoln Reagan Dinner in 2024.
But before I congratulate myself too much… Of course, some conflicts remained, and new ones emerged from time to time during my tenure. In my opinion, the most egregious of these happened when some precinct chairs publicly tried to undermine our 2024 Republican nominee for Galveston County Sheriff: Jimmy Fullen.
How many of you ran track in high school? I did. One of my track events was a relay race. The hand-off of the baton could be the difference between being the winning team or being an also ran. With that image in mind, let me hand-off this essay to your new Chairman, Brad Boney. Brad and I have been coordinating our baton hand-off since December. He is ready to go! It has been an honor to serve you, our Party, our fellow citizens, and the great state of Texas.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Patrick J. McGinnis, MD
Chairman
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year 2026!
Looking back at 2025, that was a pretty good year. Nationally, we enjoyed a full year of patriotic, energetic leadership from President Trump. He has reset the global chessboard. Importantly for the United States and Texas, the President brought law, order, and control back to the border. Despite Democrat claims, it turns out that “comprehensive immigration reform” was not needed at all. We just needed real leadership.
Your votes mattered: locally, statewide, and nationwide. Texas citizens again returned conservative Republican leaders back to Austin. Galveston County leaders continued a very long streak of reducing taxes and competently managing our local affairs. And as I noted in my last message to you, the Galveston County Commissioners Court laid an important foundation by challenging a local majority-minority coalition district and winning at the Fifth Circuit Court. The Texas Legislature and Governor Abbott followed through with Congressional redistricting, which could add 5 Republicans to Congress.
In my last message, I noted that Republicans secured about 63% of the county votes in the 2024 general election. That was up from about 60% in 2020. This year, it interesting to compare the number of Republican vs. Democrat who are candidates in the upcoming 2026 Primary Election. At the local level, very few Democrats are running to challenge incumbent Republicans: just 1. And at the political party level, there is much more energy on the Republican side. Democrats are fielding just 25 precinct chair candidates, and none of the races are contested. In contrast, on the Republican side, 55 candidates are running for precinct chair, and 9 of those races are contested. See the Secretary of State website to dive deeper. https://goelect.txelections.civixapps.com/ivis-cbp-ui/candidate-information
So, 2026 is looking pretty good. Right? Wel,l not so fast. In off-year election contests, Democrats won important races in New Jersey, Virginia, and the Pennsylvania high court. A “democratic socialist” won in New York City. And California is redrawing its own Congressional district to favor the Dems. And as we see in Minnesota, the Democrats are creating and pushing civil unrest. There are headwinds out there, and we can take nothing for granted.
I listened to Michael Berry on the radio today. I’ll paraphrase how he put it using a baseball / World Series analogy: “Championship teams win… in spring training.” In other words, the political successes we enjoyed after the November 2024 elections were there because of the work we all did in 2023 and 2024. By that analogy, we are in the middle of “spring training” again! The next election cycle will be won by those who show up, get involved, support our candidates, and stay engaged for the months ahead. We have work to do; every effort, every outreach, and every contribution matters.
Before closing, many of you know that I’ve decided not to run again for County Chairman. Though challenging at times, it has been my honor to serve you in this capacity. Brad Boney was the only candidate who applied to be Chairman, so he will lead the Galveston County Republican Party starting this summer. You may know that I served 2 terms on the Friendswood City Council. As a possible 3rd term approached, I had the same feeling then as I do now: the time is ripe. It is time for new leadership, new energy, and new ideas. I’ll be doing a hand-off with Brad over the next few months and will continue to help him in the background.
And in closing, I hope to see you all at our upcoming Lincoln Reagan Dinner: Friday January 30, 2026, at the San Luis Resort. Our Lincoln Reagan Dinner provides critical funding for voter outreach, grassroots engagement, and party operations that allow us to keep Galveston County Republican RED !!!
We have an excellent panel on tap. We will be celebrating America’s 250th Birthday! And what a good way to ring in the new year and welcome our future Chairman, Brad Boney. Get your tickets here: https://galvestoncntygop.com/2026-lincoln-reagan-dinner-january-30th/
Blessings, good health, and prosperity to you and your families in 2026!
Patrick J. McGinnis, MD
GCRP Chairman