Bo French has announced his victory in the Republican primary runoff election for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. French campaigned against diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and defeated incumbent Jim Wright, who had support from major oil companies and Republican state leaders.
The Texas Railroad Commission oversees the energy industry in Texas, despite its name. It is responsible for regulating oil and gas production, pipeline safety, and natural gas rates. The commission consists of three members serving staggered six-year terms. Wright, a career oil field worker, was first elected in 2020.
In the March primary, neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, with Wright obtaining 32.1% and French 31.75%. As of Wednesday morning, with 96.92% of votes counted, French led with 50.6% compared to Wright's 49.4%.
French expressed gratitude for the support he received from Texas Republicans and emphasized his campaign's focus on defending the oil and gas industry. He plans to challenge state Rep. Jon Rosenthal in the November general election.
Wright highlighted his record of upholding environmental and safety standards while promoting innovation in the oil and gas sector. He received endorsements from major companies like Chevron and Exxon Mobil, as well as from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders.
French, who has no prior regulatory experience, is a former chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party and owns a family oil business. He has stated that his first priority as Railroad Commissioner would be to expand a law prohibiting land sales to non-citizens from adversarial countries to include Muslim-majority nations. He has also pledged to end DEI practices within the Commission and to strengthen ties with Israel.
Governor Abbott criticized French's agenda, asserting that it could harm Texas's oil and gas production. If French's victory is confirmed, he will compete against Rosenthal in the upcoming general election.