FORT BEND COUNTY, TX (Covering Katy News) — Taral Patel, who was recently indicted on four felony and four misdemeanor charges related to identity theft and spreading false claims of racism, has lost the endorsement of the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO and others. The union is now "actively opposing his candidacy." In addition, the Fort Bend County Sheriff and a Harris County Constable have withdrawn their endorsements. Meanwhile, Patel's campaign has removed its endorsement page from public view.
"In light of recent revelations about his past conduct, the local union delegates of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation have voted to ratify a recommendation from the Tidelands Labor Assembly COPE committee to rescind the AFL-CIO's endorsement of Taral Patel's candidacy for Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 3 and adopted a position of opposition to his candidacy," the union said in a press release.
The union, typically a reliable supporter of Democratic candidates, publicly announced its retraction and opposition to the 30-year-old Democrat on Sept. 4, 2024.
"An 'opposed' position means that the AFL-CIO COPE actively opposes the candidate in question," the press release stated.
Patel also lost the support of two prominent Democratic law enforcement officers. Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan and Harris County Precinct 2 Constable Jerry Garcia have both withdrawn their endorsements, according to KPRC Channel 2.
News of Fagan and Garcia dropping their endorsements came on Friday, August 30. Patel was indicted Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024.
Fagan's told KPRC his frustration goes beyond Patel's legal troubles, he says he's upset with Patel's behavior after he allowed Patel to accompany him while riding to pick up a runaway from Fort Bend County's Riverstone neighborhood.
Rather than staying focused on the recovery efforts of Fagan, Patel used the event to boost his campaign by posting selfies while riding with the Sheriff. Patel's photos seemed to suggest he was somehow responsible for recovering the boy. One selfie shows Patel, striking a very stern pose, with Fagan behind the wheel. The second, more troubling photo was taken by Patel on the return trip, showing the minor boy in the back seat. The image exposed the boy's face, publicly identifying him on Patel's Campaign Facebook Page—something law enforcement typically avoids to protect the runaway and the family's privacy as they recover from the trauma of the situation.
"Fagan said he told Patel to take it down and the image should have never been posted," KPRC reported. "However, it still lives on Patel’s Facebook page," the report says.
Additionally, Patel's endorsement page was removed from his campaign website without explanation recently.
Attorney Husein Hadi, known for his flamboyant style, claims to know the reason for the removal. Hadi regularly posts entertaining, though not always family-friendly video blogs blending sharp legal insights with adults only language and high-energy music.
Hadi told Covering Katy News that Patel removed the endorsement page after he suggested that those who endorsed Patel should join his lawsuit against the candidate, because he believes Patel has damaged the reputation of those who backed the candidate, unaware of his alleged criminal and racist online activities.
But it remains unclear if removing the endorsement page was done to give cover to Democrats who continue to support Patel but don't want their support to be public. Constable Jerry Garcia seems to be the only supporter on the page who has publicly announced that he is not longer supporting Patel.
See the video of the page before it was removed from the Patel site. We will update this story if we learn of more candidates who rescind their endorsements. They can contact us at Info@CoveringKaty.com
Taral Patel Endorsement List
The owner of Covering Katy news is employed by the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office.