Democrat Jon Rosenthal defeated Republican Bo French for Texas Railroad Commissioner, as Democrats swept a number of statewide races for the first time since 1994.
With 93% of ballots counted as of about 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Rosenthal led the race Tuesday night with about 53% of the votes tallied, according to the Associated Press. About 46% of voters had cast their ballots for French, and another nearly 2% voted for Libertarian Arthur DiBianca.
The three-member Railroad Commission of Texas regulates the state's massive oil and gas industry, overseeing everything from pipeline safety to natural gas rates.
French received backlash in September for a social media post about University of Texas students of color celebrating at a football game. The Republican candidate said the photo was evidence that "foreigners" were displacing Americans at Texas universities, leading some members of his party to condemn the post as racist.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, Rosenthal said voters had rejected “the politics of hate.”
“The people of Texas have sent a message: the politics of hate no longer work,” Rosenthal said. There is no place for hate in Texas.”
Growing up in Midland, French emphasized his background with a family that worked in the oil business. His campaign included promises to decrease regulations and lower energy prices, but much of his platform focused on issues that aren't regulated by the commission — like immigration and abortion. On his website, French promised to "(s)top the Islamic (i)nvasion of Texas."
Rosenthal, a former oil field engineer, styled himself as a "drill baby, drill Democrat." He said he wanted to focus on lowering energy prices, regulating data centers and cleaning up pollution, in particular, abandoned oil wells. Rosenthal, a state representative, chose not to seek re-election in order to run for railroad commissioner instead. Rosenthal said he was inspired to run for the commission after a 2021 winter freeze caused rolling blackouts, as much of the state's energy infrastructure failed.
DiBianca, the libertarian, campaigned on a platform of free markets and said property owners should be compensated for damages they suffer as a result of the oil and gas industry.
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