Houston, (WBAP/KLIF) – Working into the early morning hours Monday, delegates to the Texas Republican Party’s convention in Houston elected Allen West their new party chair, replacing James Dickey. West is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. He served one term in congress as a representative of south Florida. Then moved to north Texas in 2014. He campaigned on a promise to be a more active chairman for Texas Republicans, especially working to ensure Republican lawmakers stand up to their Democrat counterparts.