Both County Clerk candidates J.J. Clemence and Tamara McFarlane have purchased campaign advertising on CoveringKaty.com at the same rate, with ads running in identical locations on the website for the same duration. Advertising with us doesn't shield candidates from scrutiny.
KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — It appears that state Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) may be telling people what they want to hear when it comes to whether he is endorsing Tamara McFarlane, who is running a racially charged primary campaign for Fort Bend County clerk.
Her campaign has literally created a civil war within the Fort Bend GOP as she's taken a shotgun-style approach to winning, not only targeting her opponent J.J. Clemence but targeting numerous Republican and Democratic elected officials and members of the GOP base who have been longtime party supporters. When she's challenged on her claims, she sometimes accuses detractors of slander and libel and threatens legal action in what seems to be an act of intimidation in order to silence critics.
One of many social media threats by Tamara McFarlane where she accuses her critics of slander and libel.
Toth says he's not endorsing
Last week, in a text exchange, Toth told a woman who is considered a GOP stalwart that he's not endorsing McFarlane or anyone else in this year's primary.
"I'm not doing any endorsements," Toth texted. "Nothing against her, I'm just not endorsing," he added.
The text exchange is below.
A text exchange where State Representative Steve Toth writes that he's not endorsing Tamara McFarlane, even though McFarlane continues to claim he is endorsing her.
Facebook post tells different story
A few hours after Covering Katy reported that he's not endorsing McFarlane, a Facebook post from Toth appeared on McFarlane's Facebook page, from Toth's account, saying he is endorsing McFarlane.
"You have my full support and endorsement," the post said.
Did Toth actually write the post?
Knowing whether Toth actually sent the Facebook post is not easy. A little-known fact is that many politicians are too busy to handle their own social media. The posts are sometimes done by a staffer. Toth is a very busy man as he's running a primary race for Congress against incumbent Dan Crenshaw.
So the question is, did Toth write or approve the post? Or did McFarlane call in a favor? She once lobbied on Toth's behalf, walking the halls of the state house to pass a piece of legislation. That connection could have given her access to a staffer who posted about the endorsement without Toth's knowledge or approval.
Unanswered questions
Covering Katy has been attempting to determine the truth. Does Toth endorse McFarlane? Does he not endorse McFarlane, or did he endorse her at one time and then rescind it as the campaign became more heated?
Toth won't return our calls, and now he's in a quandary. He's either guilty of telling his audiences what they want to hear, or he has an uninformed staffer who did a favor for McFarlane, perhaps unaware of the complexities of the situation, and posted an incorrect claim.
We will report the answer if Toth decides to speak. If not, we're standing by what is in writing and confirmed to be from Toth, that he's not doing any endorsements in this year's primary, including McFarlane.
Early voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 17 and ends on Feb. 27, 2026. Election day is March 3.