The comments come as the Republican governor has hit the campaign trail to boost Wright, whom French forced into a runoff in the March 3 primary.
Abbott cast the race for the often overlooked statewide office as existential for the state economy, especially at a time of soaring gas prices amid the ongoing war with Iran. The commission oversees the oil and gas industry.
“His agenda would wreck the miracle that we have in producing more oil and gas than ever before — by the way, more oil and gas than what Iran produces,” Abbott told a crowd of Republicans at a campaign stop in Deer Park. “We need Jim Wright to be reelected to continue to lead that way.”
Wright has the backing of major oil companies, such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil, and the state’s top GOP leadership. Abbott has appeared at multiple events with Wright this week as early voting got underway.
The candidates were virtually tied at 32% in the five-way GOP primary in March. The winner in the runoff will face state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat and former oilfield mechanical engineer, in the general election in November.
Abbott said anyone who thinks the Republican candidate will win easily “is severely misguided and wrong.”
“All of these elections are going to be close in November,” Abbott said. “If we were to have a leftist, pro-green agenda elected to be on the Railroad Commission in charge of our oil and gas industry, it would destroy Texas, it would destroy America, it would destroy the world. We cannot let that happen.”