As Texas voters prepare for the upcoming primary elections, one of the most consequential races on the ballot is for the Texas Railroad Commission. Despite its name, the agency has not regulated railroads for nearly two decades. Instead, it serves as the state’s primary regulator of oil, gas, and other energy-related industries that underpin Texas’ economy and play a significant role in national energy production.
To help readers better understand the field, High Plains Pundit is sharing background information on leading candidates in the primary. In particularly crowded races, the focus is on candidates with political experience or demonstrably competitive campaigns, using benchmarks such as fundraising, endorsements, and public visibility.
About the Office
The Texas Railroad Commission is one of the state’s oldest regulatory bodies. Its three elected commissioners oversee oil and gas production, natural gas utilities, pipelines, liquefied natural gas facilities, hydrogen storage, and surface mining for coal and uranium. The agency also enforces safety and environmental rules, inspects facilities across Texas, levies penalties for violations, and reports to the Texas Legislature.
In recent years, the commission’s responsibilities have expanded. It now plays a role in regulating hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide injection and storage, reflecting shifts in the energy industry as companies pursue new technologies and seek to benefit from federal incentives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These emerging areas place the commission at the center of both traditional energy production and evolving energy strategies.
What’s at Stake
Texas leads the nation in oil and gas production, producing more hydrocarbons than all other states combined. The industry employs nearly half a million Texans and contributes billions of dollars annually to state and local governments. Decisions made by the Railroad Commission influence energy prices, environmental outcomes, landowner rights, and the reliability of the state’s power grid.
The industry itself is changing. Oil and gas companies are increasingly focused on natural gas infrastructure to support electricity generation, including power-hungry data centers. At the same time, companies are developing projects to inject carbon dioxide underground, a process intended to reduce emissions while allowing continued fossil fuel production. The commission will regulate these efforts.
Extreme weather events have also elevated the agency’s role. Ensuring that natural gas facilities are prepared for severe cold or heat is seen as critical to preventing shortages that could destabilize Texas’ electric grid and lead to widespread power outages.
Republican Primary Candidates
Jim Wright (Incumbent)
Jim Wright, a Republican, is the current Railroad Commissioner and the best-funded candidate in the race. He was first elected in 2020 and took office in 2021. Wright has a long career in the oil field and previously served as president of an oilfield waste services company.
Wright’s campaign reports more than $550,000 in cash on hand, with significant financial support from major oil and gas interests, including industry trade groups and executives from large energy companies. He has also secured endorsements from Governor Greg Abbott, key Republican legislators involved in energy policy, and several local political organizations and officials.
Ideologically, Wright presents himself as a lifelong conservative. His policy priorities include reducing regulatory delays for energy infrastructure projects such as pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals. He has promoted emerging technologies including geothermal energy, carbon capture, and hydrogen storage. Wright has also emphasized landowner rights, continued efforts to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, and updating rules governing oilfield waste.
Hawk Dunlap
Hawk Dunlap is a Republican challenger with decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, particularly in drilling, well control, and blowout recovery. He has run for the Railroad Commission before and has built a substantial following on social media, where he frequently explains commission policies and industry practices.
Dunlap’s campaign has significantly less cash on hand than the incumbent, but he has drawn attention through online engagement and a policy platform critical of the commission’s current regulatory approach. He identifies as a conservative-libertarian and advocates for smaller government paired with stricter accountability for industry operators.
His policy proposals focus heavily on produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas production. Dunlap supports taxing commercially injected produced water, revamping statewide injection policies to reduce volumes, and expanding recycling uses, including cooling data centers. He also supports stronger enforcement of well-plugging requirements and holding operators financially responsible.
Katherine Culbert
Katherine Culbert is a career engineer with experience in industrial safety, complex energy operations, and regulatory accountability. She has provided expert testimony to the Railroad Commission in the past. Culbert is running as a Republican after previously identifying as a Democrat, stating that statewide leadership should rise above partisan expectations.
Her campaign is smaller and less well-funded than others in the field, and she has not announced major endorsements. Culbert’s platform emphasizes preparedness, transparency, and cost-conscious regulation. She has focused on ensuring natural gas facilities are weatherized and capable of delivering fuel during extreme conditions, as well as developing concrete regulatory plans for a rapidly changing energy sector.
Bo French
Bo French is a Republican activist and investor with decades of involvement in energy and party politics. He currently serves as chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party and comes from a family with oil business interests in Midland. French has raised a substantial amount of campaign funds, largely from energy-sector donors and family connections.
Ideologically, French positions himself as a hardline conservative aligned with the MAGA movement. His campaign has generated controversy, particularly related to social media activity that drew criticism from within and outside his party. French’s policy platform extends beyond traditional energy regulation into broader cultural and geopolitical issues.
He has pledged to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at the commission, oppose foreign influence in the energy sector, and promote closer ties between the United States and Israel. He has also emphasized socially conservative priorities, including opposition to abortion and promoting what he describes as pro-family values within the oil and gas industry.
Other Republican Candidates
Republican Jim Matlock is also running in the primary, though he has attracted less public attention, fundraising, or endorsements compared to the leading candidates.
Democratic Primary Candidate
Jon Rosenthal
Jon Rosenthal is the leading Democratic candidate in the race. He previously served four terms as a state representative and has more than 20 years of experience as an oil field mechanical engineer. Rosenthal has raised a moderate amount of campaign funds and has received endorsements from Democratic elected officials and organized labor, including the Texas AFL-CIO.
Rosenthal supports domestic energy production while advocating for lower emissions and stronger enforcement of existing regulations. He has argued that the Railroad Commission has historically been too closely aligned with the industries it regulates and that it should more rigorously apply current laws before seeking new ones.
His policy proposals include expanding community outreach through regional liaisons, improving language access, creating a 24/7 public hotline, and increasing transparency through public dashboards. He also supports stricter limits on flaring and venting, enhanced leak detection, repurposing inactive wells for new energy uses, and denying new permits to companies with unresolved violations.
Looking Ahead
The Texas Railroad Commission primary will shape how the state manages its dominant energy industry during a period of economic importance, technological change, and environmental risk. Voters will be asked to weigh competing visions for regulation, accountability, and the future direction of Texas energy policy, making this one of the most closely watched down-ballot races in the state.
