Controversial Montgomery County GOP Chair Bryan Christ and his challenger Gwen Withrow faced off in a candidate forum last night. Many of the questions from the crowd were aimed at the elephant in the room: a serious rift in the party which has made headlines, produced lawsuits and led state GOP mediators to conclude* the problem was the result of Christ’s failed leadership. The election for county GOP Chair is March 5, and the winner will take office June 18.

Withrow, Precinct Chair 72 and State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) member said fellow members asked her to run and bring unity back to the group. She said she would do this by “following the rules and bylaws.” She said Christ has used various tactics to prevent meetings from taking place as required under the rules. Withrow highlighted her lengthy experience with the party on both local and state levels.

Christ claimed it wasn’t fair to say the “party” is divided and repeatedly placed the blame on the County Executive Committee (CEC), which includes all precinct chairs. In 2022, the two factions attempted to resolve their differences through mediation with state GOP leadership. The mediation report (written by Matthew Patrick) concluded that “it is the Chair’s job to find a path through these disputes that works for both sides. Mr. Christ has not only failed in this principal duty, but seemed entirely uninterested in solving the problems. On questioning, he offered no solutions nor explanations of how things have gotten this far.”

During the forum, Christ responded to questions about the mediators’ conclusions by attacking the mediation process itself as a “debacle” and “catastrophe”. He claimed certain SREC members were also critical of the way the mediation was handled.

The controversy intensified in 2023 when a conservative majority of precinct chairs filed a writ of mandamus with the Texas Supreme Court, detailing their many grievances against him. Ultimately, the high court declined to accept the case.

When directly asked why he would not simply resign for the good of the party, Christ said, “I don’t have a magic wand, I’m not able to fix a division. I will follow the rules and law.” He continued to deny the “party” had problems, and insisted all the blame was on the CEC.

Precinct Chair 74 and local activist Ginger Russell asked Christ why he was an apologist for the marxists. She said she has been trying to expose the UN International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Magnolia schools for years, because it promotes open borders, diversity, equity and inclusion. Christ responded that he was for educational freedom and school choice and that the students in the program read the “Screwtape Letters.”

After the forum Russell said, “Republican party platform plank 114 specifically opposes IB. Christ did not mention that an IB teacher in Magnolia recommended a book (The Next Fire by James Baldwin) which claims white men are devils.”

When Christ was questioned about the appearance of a conflict of interest with his wife’s political consulting business, he denied there was any conflict and said that she had not gained any significant new business since he was elected Chair.

In their concluding remarks, both candidates focused on their ongoing disagreement over rules and duly elected precinct chairs. In a few weeks, it will be up to the voters of Montgomery County to choose new leadership promising unity or a continuation of the status quo. 

*Although the report is marked “Confidential” it has been posted and widely distributed in the public domain.