National support for the death penalty is at an all-time low, with younger adults from both major political parties spurning capital punishment. But in Texas’ execution chamber, the pace of lethal injections has not let up, even as some condemned Texans—including Melissa Lucio and Robert Roberson—have had their high-profile executions halted with only days or hours to spare.
Recent outcry against the state’s death penalty has come from both sides of the aisle. On the day of Roberson’s scheduled execution last year, a bipartisan group of legislators made the unprecedented move to subpoena him for a public hearing—scheduled after he was supposed to die—in a successful effort to forestall the killing so the courts could consider his innocence. (On October 9 this year, Roberson’s execution was stayed by the state’s top criminal court a week before he would have died.)
Nan Tolson, who previously worked as chief spokesperson for Governor Greg Abbott, leads the Texas chapter of the national network Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. She sees the punishment as rife with problems: from a political angle or a faith perspective, and as a public safety tool. Since founding the Lone Star State’s affiliate in 2023 as part of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, she said the organization has engaged with thousands of Republicans across the state—creating what she calls a “safe space for conservatives to talk to like-minded people about the death penalty”—bringing hundreds into the fight against capital punishment. Tolson, 30, was selected for a “40 Under 40” fellowship in 2024 by the Texas Federation of Republican Women for her activism.
The Texas Observer spoke with her in mid-September about the conservative argument against the death penalty, how Texas’ top Republicans think, and the idea of redemption.
TO: You’re a notable young voice in Texas conservatism. Have you gotten pushback from other Republicans for your views on the death penalty?
I would say so. There’s pushback on all sides when it comes to the death penalty, which is something I was prepared for. It’s a controversial and emotional topic. But I’ve received more positive reception and curiosity from Republicans than pushback. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who are genuinely interested in what we’re doing and want to learn more, even if they may not agree.
The death penalty is an issue a lot of people from all political parties are on the fence about. What made you realize you were firmly against it?
When I was a freshman at Baylor, we had a guest speaker named Shane Claiborne who came to chapel one morning, and he essentially laid out an elevator pitch on why Christians should oppose the death penalty. I had never heard that argument. It totally changed my mind in that moment.
Have you noticed any change when high-profile cases like Melissa Lucio’s and Robert Roberson’s are in the news?
Definitely. We have certainly seen a vast number of Republicans supporting Robert. We had the Texas Young Republicans Federation sign onto a letter asking for a new trial; there are very prominent Republicans in the Legislature who are supporting him; and when we have spoken to different conservative groups across Texas, oftentimes, before we even bring up his case, we have people in the audience asking us, “What’s the status with Robert Roberson’s case? I can’t believe this is happening. This has made me question the death penalty.”
Would you say the execution of innocent people is a significant problem in Texas?
Absolutely. When we’ve talked to conservatives who are against the death penalty or questioning it, the most common thing we’ll hear about is the risk of wrongful execution. The data backs it up. There is strong evidence that Texas has executed at least seven innocent people. As conservatives, we know that the government is not going to get it right every single time.
Why is opposition to the death penalty something you think can be bipartisan, given the big political divides on many criminal justice issues?
The death penalty is extremely fiscally irresponsible. It costs more to sentence someone to death and execute them than to sentence them to life in prison without parole. It’s also an ineffective deterrent to violent crime. The evidence is inconclusive at best as to whether or not it keeps people from committing homicide.
There’s also a very strong pro-life argument. As a society, we are capable of keeping people safe, and we can do that while honoring that every life has inherent dignity and worth, and that includes people on death row who have committed unspeakable acts.
Are there any cases of Texans who have been executed or exonerated, or who are still on death row, that you think more people should know about?
Two come to mind that I have worked on over the past couple of years. One is Ramiro Gonzales. He was 100 percent guilty of the crime that he committed when he was essentially a teenager. He ended up on death row for several years. He was finally executed last year, and the person that the State of Texas executed was not the person who committed the crime [because Gonzales had changed].
This is something we’ve seen with many people who are executed in Texas. They commit murder at a very young age. They come into prison a very messed-up person, and then they’re given structure, tools, resources, and they’re able to come to a place where they express remorse for their crimes. They apologize to the victims’ families. Many of them even become Christian, or they’re exposed to another form of faith, and they’re completely transformed. It’s hard when the State of Texas gives people like Gonzales the resources to do that, but then we essentially say, “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Your life is still expendable, and we’re going to execute you anyway.”
There was another gentleman who was executed last year named Ivan Cantu, out of the Dallas area. And he is one of those that we believe might have been wrongfully executed.
You spent time working at the Capitol with the state’s highest-level Republicans. What did you learn about how the Republican Party thinks about things?
Republicans and conservatives, especially in Texas, we pride ourselves on being tough on crime. But we need to be willing to think outside the box and recognize what’s working and what’s not.
Another thing that stuck out to me is that there’s a lot of nuance. There’s not really one way to be a Republican or one way to be a Democrat or a conservative. And I think that’s a positive and something that should be encouraged. Half of what we do is show conservatives that it’s OK to be opposed to the death penalty. It doesn’t mean that you’re not a Republican, that you are not a conservative, that you’re a traitor to your values or your party or your community. It means that you were willing to think critically about a really important issue and recognize that it’s actually not aligned with your values.
The majority of Republicans nationwide favor the death penalty for murder cases, and Donald Trump has been publicly pushing prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Do you ever feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle?
I do think it’s an uphill battle, but it’s not an impossible battle. We are not going to end the death penalty overnight. That has never been the goal, and that wouldn’t be realistic. But I do think what is realistic is educating conservatives about the death penalty and giving them space to question it. We certainly don’t want to come out of the gate saying, “You’re wrong about the death penalty and we need to end it tomorrow.” If we approach it strategically, we are going to be able to make progress.
We also approach everything with a lot of empathy and understanding. There are people who are victims of horrible, unspeakable crimes. It’s normal for us to want justice, or even revenge. It’s important for us to embrace that but also recognize that even if we have this emotional drive to seek revenge and right that wrong, it doesn’t mean that, in a practical sense or in reality, the death penalty is the right way to do it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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