Since the late 1960s, Nelson Thibodeaux has dedicated himself to fighting in local elections to advance conservative, pro-liberty policies. For his efforts, he was recognized with Empower Texans’ Conservative Leader Award in 2018.
Born in Beaumont, Texas, Thibodeaux grew up in Jefferson County, where Democrat Rep. Jack Brooks ruled for years. Thibodeaux was disgusted to see that as Brooks helped keep unions and Democrats in power, he also managed to acquire a number of banks.
Encouraged by examples like Sen. Barry Goldwater and his book “Conscience of a Conservative;” Sen. John Tower, the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since the Reconstruction era of the late 1800s; and Ronald Reagan, Thibodeaux stepped into local politics to fight for conservative values such as fiscal responsibility and lower taxes.
At 19 years old, Thibodeaux was elected as a precinct chair in the Republican Party. He also became district director of the Texas Young Republicans and worked as an adult advisor to the Teenage Republican Organization in Florida.
Thibodeaux later moved to Colleyville, where he has lived for the past 30 years, and was elected to the city council and served as mayor pro tem.
Though he no longer serves in elected office, Thibodeaux continues the fight for conservative values locally through his online news publication, Local News Only, which he has owned for the past 19 years; LNO focuses entirely on local issues in Colleyville, Grapevine, Keller, and Southlake. Additionally, he’s committed to preventing Tarrant County, and Texas itself, from turning blue again.
When asked what advice he would give to others who want to make a difference, he said he would simply encourage people to vote and get involved locally—because Democrats already are:
“As Tip O’Neil said, all politics is local. That is the bare-knuckles truth. Become a fan of local politics, because without your attention in local ‘nonpartisan’ city elections, you have masquerading Democrats constantly trying to grab local controls while they vote for liberal Democrats and pretend they are actually conservatives.”
Thibodeaux believes partisan politics should be standard in local elections “to flush out liberals masquerading as Republican supporters.”
Thibodeaux is happily married to Jamie, his wife of 38 years. Both are entrepreneurs involved in a number of different businesses, and he currently owns TBI Solutions LLC, a company that deals with road repairs.
Nelson and Jamie have two adult children and three grandchildren. When he’s not working, Thibodeaux enjoys playing golf, following NASCAR, and cheering on his beloved Dallas Cowboys.
