Republican Troy Nehls defeats Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni to win open U.S. House seat in Texas

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, a Republican, defeated Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni, a former diplomat, in the Houston-area U.S. House seat left open by retiring Rep. Pete Olson, according to the Associated Press.

It was Kulkarni’s second attempt at winning the district after narrowly losing to Olson, R-Sugar Land, in 2018.

His race against Nehls was defined in part by the debate over policing, which was sparked by George Floyd dying while in the custody of Minnesota police.

The sheriff touted his law-and-order bona fides, and GOP groups sought to make an issue out of Kulkarni’s drug arrest as a teen. Kulkarni had cited Nehls’ record, which includes allegations of misconduct against his department.