(Seguin) — Guadalupe County Commissioner Drew Engelke has withdrawn his name from the March 2026 Republican primary, announcing Monday that after days of reflection, he ultimately decided it was not the right time for another campaign.
Engelke says the decision came after months of consideration about the responsibilities of the office, the demands of campaigning, and the needs of his family.
“It’s been a challenge with me inside because the identity that I have in this community – I pretty much have helped serve this community since I was 12 years old and that was part of the struggle of me trying to decide this next go round. What added to that struggle for me was the position that I am in my life and the age of my sons. So, that weighed heavily but one of the key factors was this spring, my ex-wife called and said that she was diagnosed with cancer. That hit hard and it hit my boys hard and so, we struggled through that and so my identity and perspective on life changed at that moment,” said Engelke.
Engelke emphasized the responsibility of his two teenage sons and the remaining precious years he has with them at home.
“Then, moving forward into the summer, my youngest son asked, ‘why do you have to go to all these meetings?’ To a young boy, it’s summertime, he’s out of school – let’s go have fun and I said, ‘well son, it’s my job’ and that’s again going back to my identity with this community, my service –110 percent – all in – always with this job. That was really reflective of my heart and being torn between my family and my commitment to my family,’ said Engelke.
Engelke’s explanation to the public comes after many questioned his future with the county following County Judge Kyle Kutscher’s decision not to seek another term. Engelke initially filed for re-election on Dec. 4 but says he quickly felt uneasy about the decision and spent the weekend in deep reflection before officially pulling out of the race on Monday, Dec. 9.
Although he contemplated both his current seat and the judge’s position, he says he remains confident in having made the right decision.
“Going in on Monday and the person was a Kirby’s – they had two stations, one in Seguin and one in Schertz for the Republican last minute filers and so I went into Kirby’s got me a chocolate shake and walked up and submitted my withdrawal form and it was one of the hardest decisions that I ever had to make but it felt right. When I did it, it just felt right. That’s all I can say about that. I didn’t know what to think when I was doing it but everything played out like it was supposed to,” said Engelke
Meanwhile, Engelke says there remains plenty of work ahead this next year and has plans to continue serving as Precinct 2 commissioner through the end of his term on Dec. 31, 2026.