Recap: 2026 DailyTrib Llano County Republican Primary Candidates Forum
Republican candidates for Llano County judge and Pct. 4 commissioner introduced themselves, answered questions, and made closing remarks at the 2026 DailyTrib Llano County Republican Primary Candidate Forum on Thursday, Feb. 12. DailyTrib image
The 2026 DailyTrib Llano County Republican Primary Candidates Forum was held on Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Llano County Community Center. DailyTrib has assembled a basic guide for navigating the event’s online recording to better share what candidates had to say on the record about some of the biggest issues facing the county.
The forum was held for a live audience, but it was also livestreamed and is still available for viewing on the DailyTrib Republican Candidate Forums 2026 webpage.
At the event, Llano County judge candidates Rob Hardy and Richard Kepp, along with Precinct 4 commissioner candidates Jerry Don Moss and Robert Little, introduced themselves, answered pointed questions, and provided closing remarks.
Learn more about the candidates and the offices they are running for in the Feb. 10 DailyTrib story “Llano County candidate profiles; DailyTrib forum Feb. 12.”
Important election dates and information
The winner of the Republican nomination for county judge will almost certainly take office in 2027 due to the lack of a Democratic challenger in the general election. The winner of the nomination for Precinct 4 commissioner will likely go on to face the Democratic candidate, Leila Green Little, in the November general election.
- The last day to register to vote in the primary election was Feb. 2
- Early voting runs Feb. 17-27
- Election Day is March 3
Learn more about the upcoming election on the Texas Secretary of State website and the Llano County Elections Office website.
Forum guide
Use the hyperlinks attached to each timestamp to see excerpts from the video featuring each candidate and their corresponding introductions, responses, and closing remarks. Here is a direct link to the entire show, which is 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 30 seconds in length: 2026 Llano County Republican Primary Candidate Forum
The forum featured two-minute introductions from each candidate, followed by a series of two-minute responses to five questions from each candidate, and it ended with two-minute closing remarks from each candidate.
Four of the questions were asked to all four candidates. The fifth question was unique to the office the candidates were running for. All questions were developed by DailyTrib staff and they were not shown to the candidates prior to the forum.
The candidates initial response order was chosen at random, then the order was shifted to the right following each prompt to allow each candidate an opportunity to respond first and last.
The initial response order was: Hardy, Kepp, Moss, and Little.
Introductions
Each candidate was given two minutes to introduce themselves to the audience prior to the question and answer portion of the event.
- County judge candidate Rob Hardy- 6:27
- County judge candidate Richard Kepp- 8:45
- Pct. 4 commissioner candidate Jerry Don Moss- 11:00
- Pct. 4 commissioner candidate Robert Little- 12:48
Question 1: Transparency
Preface: None
Question: What are your specific plans for ensuring open communication and transparency with the public as you conduct the business of the county?
Question 2: Roads and Bridges
Preface: Llano County has hundreds of miles of county roads and several bridges that require maintenance, repair, and expansion, which must all be achieved with limited resources, personnel, and equipment. This work is one of the primary responsibilities of the Commissioners Court and is directly facilitated by the budgets that it approves.
Question: What are your specific plans for improving and effectively funding Llano County’s transportation infrastructure?
Question 3: Budget Management
Preface: While the Llano County tax rate has decreased by about 12 percent in the last five years, budgeted expenditures have increased significantly. Between 2022 and 2026, budgeted maintenance and operation expenditures have increased by 63.9 percent, the Sheriff’s Office budgeted expenditures have increased by 73.4 percent, and the salaries of Commissioners Court members have risen 28 percent. In that same timeframe, 44.68 percent more property tax revenue has been levied to fund the county budget.
Question: If elected, what is your specific plan, strategy, or philosophy for balancing the needs of the county, government spending, and the tax burden on property owners?
Note: These figures were pulled from the publicly-posted Llano County budgets for the 2021-22 fiscal year and the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Question 4: Unique Responsibilities
Preface: The Llano County Commissioners Court not only manages the budget and tax rate of the county, it has taken on a unique set of responsibilities and inherited others. In 2025, the county took over operations of the Llano Regional Hospital. Since 2021, the court has taken a direct role in the operation and management of the Llano County Library System. The county also manages 17,000 acres of land in Tom Green County on behalf of the Llano Independent School District.
Question: If elected, how do you plan on effectively managing the basic responsibilities of the court and navigating its unique responsibilities such as the Llano Regional Hospital, Llano County Library System, and “School Lands”?
Unique Question for County Judge Candidates
Preface: While the county judge has an equal vote to the commissioners, they are the chair of the Commissioners Court and often represent the county in negotiations with other organizations, agencies, governments, companies, firms, and more. They lead court meetings and direct the county through disasters. The full court votes on the county budget, but the judge leads its development, working alongside the county auditor and several department heads for months every year to see it brought to fruition. Whoever wins this race will be stepping into the role for the first time and will take office without any prior Commissioners Court experience.
Question: This is a two-part question. How have you specifically prepared to take on the role of County Judge? Why do you believe you are capable of effectively serving and representing your constituents?
Unique Question for Pct. 4 Commissioner Candidates
Preface: The race for the Precinct 4 Republican nomination is set to the backdrop of a perceived public personal conflict between the candidates regarding their mutual connection to the Llano County Library System Lawsuit. Commissioner Moss was a named defendant in the lawsuit and Candidate Little is married to the primary plaintiff in that same lawsuit.
Question: Do you believe that this conflict, or the perception of it, will impact your ability to effectively represent all of your constituents? Why or why not?
Closing Remarks
Each candidate was given two minutes to make their closing remarks at the end of the forum.