Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe has endorsed Col. Michael Bob Starr in the race for the 19th Congressional District. The Starr campaign announced the endorsement Monday morning via press release. Rowe cited Starr's military background and commitment to securing the border as reason for his endorsement according to the press release.

“I have the utmost respect for the candidates in this race, but Michael Bob Starr stands above the rest because of his military experience and commitment to securing our border and stopping the flow of crime and drugs to Lubbock County and West Texas,” said Sheriff Rowe. “For too long the politicians in Washington have talked about border security without delivering results. Border security cannot be solved with talking points and slogans. That’s why it’s time to send a fighter and conservative patriot like Michael Bob Starr to Congress.”

Rowe, who has served as Lubbock County Sheriff since 2009, said the brutal cartel tactics once thought to be exclusive to South Texas are showing up in Lubbock County and across West Texas.

“A porous border represents a clear and present danger to our citizens, communities, and local law enforcement who are on the front lines. As Sheriff, I see this issue from two perspectives - law enforcement and detention operations. On the law enforcement side, we are interdicting dangerous drugs at historic levels. From the other lens, the Lubbock County Detention Center, we see that 60% of the population is in on an addictive related offense. Simply put, open borders, crime and drugs are having a devastating effect on our community. Political talk is costly. We need to get it fixed.”

Starr, who recently retired as Commander of Dyess Air Force Base, has made national security and border security the cornerstone of his campaign for Congress. He is the only candidate in the race that has actually fought terrorists and secured borders. Since 9/11, Starr has been deployed for over 1100 days in the war on terror. He flew in the first bombing raid over Afghanistan while the twin towers were still smoldering, and he spent a year in Baghdad during the “surge.”

“I am truly humbled to have the support of such a respected patriot and public servant,” said Starr. “Sheriff Rowe is one of the first people I met on this campaign, and his personal story about border security and how it affects our West Texas communities has been one of the driving forces behind my message. Border security doesn’t just affect South Texas, it affects all of us, and it’s the job of the federal government to secure the border and give local law enforcement the resources to do their job and keep our communities safe. As I have learned through fighting and planning military operations overseas, you can’t truly have freedom without security, and Sheriff Rowe confronts this fact on a daily basis. ”

Starr has also been endorsed by the Sheriff of Taylor County.

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