Republican commissioner addresses GOP backlash following his effort to keep early voting sites on college campuses

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Republican Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez opposed a GOP-led effort to remove early voting locations from the county's college campuses .

And the backlash from fellow Republicans was swift and severe.

The Tarrant County GOP Chair immediately said GOP voters and activists would not forget Republicans who sided with the "Leftist mob" and implied Ramirez would be primaried.

The Tarrant County Republican Party censured Ramirez and Gary Fickes, the other Republican on the Commissioner's Court who opposed the effort. But Fickes is retiring soon, so Ramirez is taking most of the heat.

Even the chairman of the state Republican party criticized the commissioners.

When we asked Ramirez if he expected the severe backlash from fellow Republicans, he told us it's no different than a family disagreement.

"I've been a police officer for 15 years. I served in the gang unit. I served in the robbery [unit]. I served in patrol. I've been in plenty of fights. This is not a fight," the Commissioner said on Inside Texas Politics.

The effort to remove early voting locations from college campuses was led by Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, who argued it would save money and that it's not the county's job to push any particular group to get out to vote.

But Bo French, the Tarrant County GOP Chair, perhaps identified the real reason for the GOP backlash in the party's resolution against the commissioner which said Ramirez's vote "undermines the ability of Republicans to win the general election in Tarrant County."

Ramirez put forth a motion to approve 51 early voting sites, which added a location instead of taking any away. And it includes eight voting sites on college campuses.

Ramirez continues to stand by his actions, saying he was following the recommendations of the county's elections administrator, a fellow Republican, and that it's important not only to expand access to voting, but also to make sure everyone has equal and fair access.

He argues that, morally, he couldn't vote to get rid of a site that sees up to 10,000 voters every election, such as the UT-Arlington location.

Around 10% of the ballots cast early in 2020 were on college campuses.

"I think that we've got a compelling message for college students," Ramirez said.

Ramirez sent his own open letter to the county GOP chair, criticizing French for using party resources to attack him weeks before an election and highlighting his conservative record.

Other Republicans have also come to his defense , thanking him for protecting the right to vote and providing more locations to do so, including Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and state Representative Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth.

And Ramirez tells us he's received hundreds, if not thousands, of messages of support from fellow Republicans across the state.

"Because we know it's conservative policies, not politics, that win in November. It's conservative results, not conservative rhetoric. That's what makes society great," Ramirez argued. "Texas is a great state because of conservative policies that have helped us build this infrastructure. And I know we've got a compelling message to tell in November."