Troy Nehls Bio
Troy Edwin Nehls (born April 7, 1968) is an American politician and former law-enforcement officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas’s 22nd congressional district since 2021. A Republican, he built his public career in uniform first, rising through the ranks of military and county law enforcement before winning a seat in Congress. He previously served as sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas, from 2013 to 2021.
Known for his conservative positions, Nehls is an outspoken supporter of former president Donald Trump. He has focused on veterans’ issues, public safety, and criminal-justice reform since arriving in Washington. In November 2025, he announced that he would not seek reelection in 2026 in order to focus on his family.
Early Life and Background
Troy Edwin Nehls was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, on April 7, 1968. He grew up in a family with deep ties to military service and local law enforcement. His father, Edwin Nehls, served in the Korean War and later served as sheriff of Dodge County, Wisconsin, helping shape his son’s early interest in public service.
Nehls enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1988, beginning a military career that would last more than two decades. Over the course of his service, he was deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and he earned two Bronze Star Medals for his conduct in those theaters. He ultimately retired from the Army Reserve in 2009 with the rank of major.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University and later completed a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Houston–Downtown, strengthening the academic foundation for his future roles in law enforcement. He also has a twin brother, Trever, who served in the Army Reserve for 24 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a brother, Todd, who served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is a former sheriff of Dodge County.
Path to US Politics
Nehls moved to Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1994 and joined the police department of Richmond, Texas, beginning a long career in local law enforcement. He was fired from the Richmond police force in 1998, with reasons including destruction of evidence. He rebuilt his career, and in 2004, while serving as a reservist in Iraq, he was elected constable for Fort Bend County.
In 2012, Nehls was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County, taking office in January 2013, and he was reelected in 2016. He announced in July 2019 that he would not seek reelection as sheriff in 2020, setting the stage for a move to national politics. Throughout this period, he also contributed to public-safety discussions, and in May 2023 the National Shooting Sports Foundation recognized his work by awarding him its Real Solutions Champion award.
Nehls first tested the waters for federal office in 2017 by forming an exploratory committee for Texas’s 22nd congressional district, but he decided not to run in 2018. He revisited the idea in 2019 as incumbent Republican Pete Olson announced his retirement, and in December 2019 Nehls formally announced his campaign for the seat. His political identity was built on his record in uniform, his support for veterans, and his defense of the oil and gas industry that powers many local jobs.
Troy Nehls Career
Early Career (2004–2012)
Nehls’s first significant elected role came in 2004, when he won the position of constable for Fort Bend County while deployed overseas with the Army Reserve in Iraq. The role gave him direct experience managing a county-level law-enforcement office and built the public profile that would later carry him into higher office.
He served as constable while continuing his Army Reserve commitments, balancing deployments and domestic assignments. By the time he ran for sheriff in 2012, he had already logged years of public-safety experience and a combat record, giving him a strong story with Fort Bend County voters.
Sheriff of Fort Bend County (2013–2021)
In 2012, Nehls was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County and took office in January 2013. He went on to win reelection in 2016, securing two full terms as the county’s chief law-enforcement officer and positioning himself as a high-profile Republican in a fast-growing Houston-area community.
As sheriff, he oversaw a large department serving one of the most populous counties in Texas. In July 2019, while still serving as sheriff, he announced that he would not seek another term in 2020, signaling his intent to pursue a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. His tenure ended in early 2021, when he transitioned to Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives Breakthrough (2021–Present)
Nehls finished first in the March 2020 Republican primary for Texas’s 22nd congressional district with 40.5% of the vote. In the July runoff, he defeated second-place finisher Kathaleen Wall with 70% of the vote to become the GOP nominee. In the November general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni 52% to 45% and assumed office on January 3, 2021.
His first week in office was marked by the January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack, during which Nehls and other members of Congress assisted U.S. Capitol Police in barricading the House floor. He later joined 121 other House Republicans in objecting to certain electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, and on January 13, 2021, he voted against the second impeachment of President Donald Trump.
In his early House career, Nehls partnered with Representative Val Demings to introduce H.R. 3529, the Second Chance Opportunity for Re-Entry Education (SCORE) Act, directing grant funds to county jails for career-training programs for nonviolent incarcerated individuals. In 2022, he published his book, The Big Fraud: What Democrats Don’t Want You to Know about January 6, the 2020 Election, and a Whole Lot Else, laying out his views on the previous presidential election. He has also drawn attention for stunts such as wearing a shirt featuring Donald Trump’s mug shot with the words “Never Surrender!” during the 2024 State of the Union Address, and for co-sponsoring a bill to rename Dulles International Airport after Trump.
Notable Events and Milestones
Nehls’s career has been punctuated by several defining moments, from his first election as constable in 2004 while deployed to Iraq, to his landslide primary runoff in 2020 and his role during the events of January 6, 2021. He has also drawn headlines for the March 2023 military rescission of a Combat Action Badge awarded to him, an episode he publicly disputed. In March 2024, the United States House Committee on Ethics opened an investigation into his campaign’s finances, and on January 22, 2026, he made news during a hearing on former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations by blaming the January 6 attack on U.S. Capitol Police. In November 2025, he announced he would not seek reelection in 2026.
Troy Nehls Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
The Nehls family has a long tradition of military and law-enforcement service that shaped Troy Edwin Nehls’s career path. His father, Edwin Nehls, served in the Korean War and later served as sheriff of Dodge County, Wisconsin. His twin brother, Trever Nehls, served in the Army Reserve for 24 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Trever succeeded Troy as constable for Fort Bend County in 2013 before winning the Republican nomination for sheriff in 2020. Another brother, Todd, served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and is a former sheriff of Dodge County.
Personal Life
Nehls married Jill Broxson in 2009, and the couple has three daughters. Jill Nehls is an educator, and the family has been a central part of his public life, including his decision in November 2025 not to seek reelection in 2026 in order to focus on his family. Nehls is a Dispensationalist Protestant, and his faith has been a consistent element of his public identity.