The president of Texas Scorecard, Ross Kecseg, passed away Wednesday night after a fight against cancer. He was 36, and he leaves behind a wife and young son.
A native of North Texas, Ross graduated from Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas. He graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in economics, with a special emphasis on public policy and constitutional law. He worked as a consultant and in sales before joining Empower Texans in 2014 and launching the organization’s Metroplex bureau.
He became president of Empower Texans, responsible for developing staff leadership, and shepherded the creation of Texas Scorecard. He was a popular speaker, focusing on the data side of local government issues while urging citizens to demand transparency and ethics from elected officials.
”We were looking to open a Metroplex office, and everyone told me there was no one better than Ross Kecseg,” said Michael Quinn Sullivan, publisher of Texas Scorecard and former CEO of Empower Texans. “Everyone was right. His day jobs were basically how he subsidized his personal passion for researching government policy and desire to see more Texans engaged in the fight for self-governance.”
Sullivan said Kecseg quickly emerged as a natural leader and partner. “He found great joy in details, whether it was the results of an open records request or learning about the upbringing of people God brought in his life. Professionally, it seemed everything I was bad at, Ross loved to do. Ross was an infectious and joyful presence in our lives.”
Former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R–Irving) praised Kecseg’s devotion to the conservative movement.
“Ross was one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. He was an intelligent and principled advocate for liberty, a dedicated father, a devoted follower of Christ, and a good friend. He will be missed,” Rinaldi told Texas Scorecard.
That sentiment was shared by Texas Scorecard’s Buddy Kipp. “I have never met someone who believed more passionately in what he fought for and cared so deeply for those he fought alongside than Ross. Just a tremendous human being who will be missed by all of us that had the honor to know him.”
Julie McCarty – CEO of the True Texas Project – described to Texas Scorecard her “mix of emotions” which rested on his determination to fight for liberty in the Lone Star State.
“Ross saw it as a duty and calling, a privilege, as representatives of Christ on Earth. He was faithful to that responsibility to the very end and did it with joy, not because he had to but because he wanted to. We will continue on and do the same, and we will be even better at it because as he got closer to death, Ross spent his last days reminding us all to keep Christ as our example and motivator, to do what we do in love – even BECAUSE of love. Ross knowing his end was near was a gift to us. He became keenly aware of where priorities should be, in a way that we cannot, and so we will follow his lead.”
As word spread about his passing, many took to social media to express their sorrow.
“I’ll never forget [Ross]’s welcoming spirit when I first came up to DFW in the summer of 2017,” wrote Chris Sacia. “God bless him, his family, and all those grieving this loss.”
Conservative activist Thomas Marchetti noted that when he “moved to Texas, no one helped me more than Ross Kecseg to understand the property tax system. He was just a really good guy with a good heart.”
Austin Goss, the capital bureau reporter for Dakota News Now in South Dakota and former Texas Scorecard intern, wrote: “I’ll always be grateful for Ross for the incredible kindness and patience he showed me as I started my career in journalism. He was an incredible person with a huge heart.”
Conservative activist Toni Fabry wrote, “Fellow grassroots activists have lost a true patriot. Condolences to his entire family.”
All the attention, said Sullivan, would have “absolutely horrified Ross.”
“He rejected self-promotion and was adamant that the story should never be about us. The story was never about him, but about the grassroots. He never wanted to be the center of things, he wanted the truth to be at the center of things. And the truth is this: our sorrow at his passing is a reminder of how deeply he impacted our lives. And the truth is that his love for Jesus, his desire to serve God, motivated all he did. We rejoice in knowing he will be waiting for us, with a big smile, no doubt eager to show us the details of heaven.”
Service and memorial information is pending.
