Thomas Richard Mechler, is an American engineer and political organizer who served as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. He was chosen on the second secret ballot by the 62-member Republican State Executive Committee meeting in Austin on March 7, 2015, after the resignation of Steve Munisteri. Under Mechler's tenure, the GOP held all statewide offices in Texas.
To win the state chairmanship, Mechler defeated several intra-party rivals, including former vice chairman and current Republican National CommitteemanRobin Armstrong, an African-American physician from Dickinson in Galveston County; Wade Emmert, the Dallas Countyparty chairman, and Jared Woodfill, the former Harris County chairman known for his support of social conservatism. Woodfill was unseated as chairman in Harris County in 2014 by Paul Simpson. In 2010, Munisteri defeated Cathie Adams at the party's state convention in Dallas, and Mechler was named the party treasurer and was credited with bringing stability to party finances. Mechler was elected in 2016 by delegates to the regular state Republican convention, which was held in Dallas from May 12–14. Mechler has been the Republican chairmen in two Texas counties, one of which is Gray County, which includes Pampa, the second largest city in the Texas Panhandle. To succeed himself as party treasurer, Mechler tapped Republican activist and assistant treasurer Thomas Washington of Denton. In 2005, then-Governor Rick Perry appointed Mechler to the board of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where he served for nine years, the last five as the Board Vice-Chair. Mechler has served as a Volunteer Prison Chaplain since 2002. GovernorGreg Abbott said that he expects Mechler to "strengthen the party continue the momentum of our state's Republican victories and preserve the very values that have made Texas the greatest state in the nation to live, work and raise a family." Mechler opposes marriage of same-sex couples and once said he would cancel his subscription to his home-town newspaper, the Amarillo Globe-News, were it to place in its pages a picture of two men or two women kissing each other. Mechler has been a grassroots leader since first becoming involved in Republican Party politics in 1986 in Wasilla, Alaska where he was first elected as a Precinct Chair, followed by his election as the District 16 Vice-Chair and subsequently becoming the District 16 Chair and member of the Alaska Central Committee. He held these positions until leaving Alaska to attend the Wharton Business School in 1990. He became reinvolved as a Republican grassroots leader when he was elected the Gray County GOP Chair in 1993, a position he held until he moved to Armstrong County in 2000. He became the County Chair in Claude, Texasin 2001, serving for a year when he was elected to the Texas State Republican Executive Committee where he served from 2002-2006. Mechler first became involved in politics because of his strong pro-life beliefs which he continues to hold to this day. In his statement of resignation as state Republican chairman, Mechler cited time constraints and business and family matters. Having worked in 2016 to unify the Donald Trump and Ted Cruz factions in the Texas GOP, Mechler called for party unity and outreach in his departing statement. A successor for a two-year term was chosen on June 3 at the state Republican Executive Committee meeting in Austin. Candidates who sought the position were Travis County chairman James Dickey, Rick Figueroa of Brenham, and Mark Ramsey, a state committee member from Spring in Harris County. The 62-member State Republican Executive Committee and the vice chair narrowly chose Dickey to succeed Mechler. Dickey polled thirty-two votes to thirty-one for rival Rick Figueroa.
