State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) on Tuesday was endorsed by sheriffs from every county in House District 81, a news release detailed.
Seeking his fifth two-year term, Landgraf picked up the endorsement of Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis.
“Sheriff Griffs is dedicated to his community and serious about public safety,” Landgraf stated in a news release. “It’s an honor to have his trust and confidence. I’ve supported law enforcement officers throughout my time as state representative, so I feel like I’m doing a good job when the county’s number one law man endorses me.”
During the 2021 legislative session, Landgraf filed House Bill 523 to allow county sheriffs in his district to be able to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety standards. This legislation was requested by sheriffs in Landgraf’s district, where heavy truck traffic from the energy industry brings both prosperity and public safety challenges to the region. County sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in the counties of Andrews, Ector, Ward, and Winkler are now eligible to apply for certification to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety standards.
“Representative Landgraf is a man of his word,” Griffis said. “He walks the walk and talks the talk. He doesn’t just say he supports law enforcement, he takes action. He is the best man to represent our community in the Texas House.”
In addition to Griffis’ endorsement, Landgraf has been endorsed for re-election by Ward County Sheriff Frarin Valle, Winkler County Sheriff Darin Mitchell and Andrews County Sheriff Rusty Stewart.
“He’s a man of action, he gets things done and truly cares about law enforcement and doing what he can to keep people safe. He’s Permian Basin homegrown, and it shows. I know he has our back,” Valle said of Landgraf in a news release.
“Landgraf picks up the phone when I call and always acts fast to ensure we have everything we need from the state. We have a strong working relationship and a strong voice in the Texas House,” Mitchell added via the news release.
Stewart agreed, adding, “Andrews County is thankful to have a state representative who is willing to go to bat for us. We have been well-represented by Representative Landgraf.”
Landgraf has also been endorsed for re-election in 2022 by the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA). In addition to authoring HB 523 and sponsoring SB 901 to support local law enforcement during the 87th Texas Legislative Session in 2021, Landgraf co-authored House Bill 1900 to penalize cities that try to defund their police departments. The bill eventually passed, going into effect on September 1, 2021.
Landgraf said last year’s statewide redistricting deleted Andrews County and added Loving County to the district, which also includes Ector, Winkler and Ward counties, although the winner of the March 1 Republican Primary will keep representing Andrews through the rest of this year
Landgraf is challenged by Odessan Casey Gray, who filed to run for Congress in California in 2016 but didn’t appear on the ballot and then ran against now U.S. Rep. August Pfluger in 2018.
Gray, 39, has previously said he grew up in Odessa and then moved to Bangs before enlisting in the military.
Gray has legal woes in Wisconsin with an April court date scheduled on bail jumping charges. The prosecutor in the case recently said Gray is accused of twice violating a restraining order and jumping bail on the two cases that were filed as a result of those alleged violations. Online records also indicate Gray is involved in a child custody dispute in that same county.
