The Ashe County Republican Party mourns the sudden passing of Dr. Thomas Bregger, our immediate past chair, and honors his leadership and service, this the 22nd of April, 2026.

As an Air Force child, Tom has lived in more places across the world than there are letters in the alphabet. He rarely finished a school year in the same place he started. But he chose to retire to our community. How blessed and honored we have been, due to that decision by him and his lovely wife, Virginia, or “Jen” as he called her.

We in Ashe County were lucky to have had his leadership and dedication to our electoral efforts. Tom turned the process of administering early voting and election day polling into a science known locally as “Tom’s 3 Rules of Effective Polling Place Campaigning.”

Tom also committed to document all the ways we accomplish our various campaign projects, such as early voting, radio ads, print advertisement, digital advertising, Christmas in July, Lincoln-Reagan, and county conventions, which he has done through a Strategic Plan document that we update as required.

Tom did not run for another term as Chairman in 2025 because he stepped up to become the Chairman of the Ashe County Board of Elections. However, not only has he served a full term as Party Chairman himself, but also, he stepped up to serve our party twice in the past when leadership unexpectedly changed mid-term.

When Ashe County needed him, Tom Bregger stepped up. And did a fantastic job. And the 2024 local electoral sweep was a wonderful success to end on.

Thank you, Tom, from all of us who know what a big and thankless job it is.

You did us proud. Rest in peace, our dear, departed friend!

Jonathan C. Jordan

Ashe County Chairman, 2025-2027