Updated 10:10 p.m.
South Montgomery County and the rest of District 15 will have a new State Representative in 2015 as Mark Keough defeated Bruce Tough in the March 4 Republican Primary. Keough will run unopposed in the November general election.
According to unofficial results, Keough received 57.4 percent of the vote, or 8,288 votes, compared to Tough, who earned 42.6 percent, or 6,154 votes. All 89 Montgomery County precincts have reported.
No Democratic candidates filed for the position.
"I give all the credit to the Lord," Keough said. "I'm just so excited to get started."
Tough said he was disappointed by the results of the election, but said he will continue to serve the community as chairman of the The Woodlands Township board of Directors.
"I'm disappointed," Tough said. "I worked really hard, and I'm more disappointed for all my friends and neighbors who worked so hard on my campaign. We had a large, broad base of community support. I really wanted to do this and worked so worked and this is hard on my team."
Tough said he remains excited for the future of the community.
"We're in a great community, we're in the greatest community in the greatest county in the greatest state in the world," he said. "I hope to continue to work hard on the township and provide great services to our residents and business."
Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, opted not to run for re-election for the position, which he has held since elected in 2012. Toth is running in the special election to replace former State Senator Tommy Williams for his seat on Senate District 4.
Keough is the founder of Mark Keough Ministries, which includes Pathfinders Fellowship in The Woodlands. He has 26 years of experience working in the automotive industry, serving most recently as the general sales manager of Northside Lexus for almost 14 years.
Tough was elected to the township board in 2008, and is currently serving in his third year as chairman. He also served on The Woodlands Community Association for 11 years and was a member of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees for five years.
Posted 8 p.m.
Mark Keough has an early lead in the Republican Primary race for State Representative District 15 based on early voting voting results from Montgomery County.
According to unofficial voting results, Keough received 58.5 percent of the early votes, or 4,874 votes, compared to 41.5 percent, or 3,453 votes, for his opponent, Woodlands Township Chairman Bruce Tough. The winner of the primary does not have a Democratic opponent in the upcoming general election in November.
No precincts have reported election day results.
Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, opted not to run for re-election for the position, which he has held since elected in 2012. Toth is running in the special election to replace former State Senator Tommy Williams for his seat on Senate District 4.
Keough is the founder of Mark Keough Ministries, which includes Pathfinders Fellowship in The Woodlands. He has 26 years of experience working in the automotive industry, serving most recently as the general sales manager of Northside Lexus for almost 14 years.
Tough was elected to The Woodlands Township Board of Directors in 2008, and is currently serving in his third year as chairman. He also served on The Woodlands Community Association for 11 years and was a member of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees for five years.