{"id":156895,"date":"2026-02-09T13:21:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/156895\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T13:21:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:21:15","slug":"top-candidates-in-the-2026-texas-railroad-commission-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/156895\/","title":{"rendered":"Top candidates in the 2026 Texas Railroad Commission primary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates with political experience or demonstrably competitive campaigns, using benchmarks such as fundraising, endorsements and online presence. For a full list of candidates, view our primary ballot page<\/a>. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our guides and news coverage here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the elected seat: The Railroad Commission, one of Texas\u2019 oldest regulatory agencies, oversees a constellation of energy infrastructure across the state. Its elected commissioners and staff are tasked with regulating oil and gas production, natural gas facilities, hydrogen, pipelines, coal and uranium surface mining. The agency has not regulated railroads since 2005. With several field offices across Texas, the commission inspects facilities, enforces penalties and reports to the Texas Legislature. More recently, the agency has also taken on regulating hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide injection and storage, as companies look to create alternate sources of energy<\/a> and take advantage of federal financial incentives to recapture carbon dioxide that contributes<\/a> to climate change. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake: Far and away, Texas commands U.S. oil and gas. The industry drills more oil and other hydrocarbons than all the other states combined. This massive industry employs nearly half a million Texans and pays billions of dollars to local and state coffers. And it\u2019s changing. Seeking to become more profitable, oil companies are evolving their business models to expand their ability to deliver natural gas \u2014 which powers electricity generation \u2014 to data centers. Oil companies are also set to build facilities designed to inject carbon dioxide underground to reduce air pollution. The commission will oversee and regulate these ventures. And as Texas becomes more extreme-weather prone, the agency is also responsible for ensuring that natural gas facilities are prepared to avoid shortages or incidents that could affect the state\u2019s power grid and lead to widespread power outages. <\/p>\n

Candidates at a glance:<\/p>\n

\"\"The Railroad Commission of Texas<\/p>\n

Jim Wright<\/p>\n

Republican, incumbent<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Campaign finance:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Major donors this cycle:<\/p>\n

Texas Oil and Gas Association Good Government Committee, industry trade group \u2014 $25,000. <\/p>\n

Vicki Hollub, President and CEO of Occidental Energy, or Oxy \u2014 $25,000<\/p>\n

Diamondback Energy TX PAC \u2014 $10,000<\/p>\n

Chevron Employees PAC, a political and lobbying arm of Chevron \u2014 $10,000<\/p>\n

Experience:<\/p>\n

President of an oilfield waste services company<\/p>\n

First elected as Railroad Commissioner in 2020, taking office in 2021<\/p>\n

Career oil field worker<\/p>\n

Political ideology:
A lifelong conservative, according to his campaign website.<\/p>\n

Policy stances:<\/p>\n

Wants to cut red tape, ending what he said are \u201cunnecessary federal delays\u201d for energy infrastructure, including pipelines and liquified natural gas terminals<\/p>\n

Initiated an effort to design oilfield waste rules<\/p>\n

Promotes emerging technology, such as geothermal energy, carbon capture and hydrogen storage <\/p>\n

Believes in landowners rights, and that operators on their property should \u201cfollow the rules\u201d regarding land remediation, such as cleaning up possible contamination of soil and groundwater<\/p>\n

Says he wants to continue plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, known as \u201corphan wells\u201d, a growing and expensive issue in Texas<\/a> <\/p>\n

In the news:<\/p>\n

Endorsements:<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott<\/p>\n

Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, chair of the Texas House Energy Resources Committee<\/p>\n

Fort Bend Conservatives<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker<\/p>\n

Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth<\/p>\n

How to contact or learn more
info@jimwrightfortexas.com<\/p>\n

\"\"Campaign photo<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Campaign finance:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Major donors this cycle:<\/p>\n

Schuyler Wight, private landowner in West Texas \u2014 $5,000 <\/p>\n

Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney, former Texas Railroad Commission candidate, now a District Attorney in West Texas, \u2014 $8,000 in-kind donation<\/p>\n

Smokey Briggs, business owner and newspaper publisher \u2014 $748<\/p>\n

Experience:<\/p>\n

Decades of working experience within the oil and gas industry<\/p>\n

Expertise in drilling, well control, blowout recovery, and risk management, both onshore and offshore, according to his campaign<\/p>\n

Former candidate for the Railroad Commission<\/p>\n

Frequently educates people about the commission\u2019s work on social media, where he\u2019s amassed a larger following than his competitors, with more than 150,000 followers across multiple platforms<\/p>\n

Political ideology:<\/p>\n

Conservative-Libertarian <\/p>\n

Small government advocate <\/p>\n

Highly critical of the railroad commission\u2019s approach toward regulating the oil and gas industry \u2014 which he argues is lax. <\/p>\n

Policy stances:<\/p>\n

Charge a tax of 10 cents a barrel for every barrel of oilfield wastewater, known as produced water, injected underground<\/a> commercially; At 30 million barrels a day, it\u2019ll generate $3 million <\/p>\n

Revamping statewide produced water injection policies, with a goal to reduce the volume overall<\/p>\n

Using produced water to cool data centers, among other recycling methods<\/p>\n

Supports more well-plugging policies, including holding oil and gas operators accountable<\/p>\n

In the news:<\/p>\n

Endorsements:
Brian Sprague, a congressional candidate for Texas\u2019 District12, which encompasses parts of North Texas<\/p>\n

How to contact or learn more:
hawkins.dunlap@yahoo.com<\/p>\n

\"\"Campaign photo<\/p>\n

Katherine Culbert<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Campaign finance:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Major donors this cycle:<\/p>\n

Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney and West Texas district attorney \u2014 $3,850<\/p>\n

Wise County Democratic Party \u2014 $200<\/p>\n

Bandera County Democratic \u2014 $200<\/p>\n

Experience:<\/p>\n

Career engineer with a background on safety, industrial processes and accountability on complex energy operations<\/p>\n

Has provided expert testimony to the Texas Railroad Commission<\/p>\n

Political ideology:<\/p>\n

Formerly a Democrat, Culbert is running as a Republican in the 2026 primaries <\/p>\n

Has said statewide leadership \u201cmust rise above partisan expectations\u201d<\/p>\n

Policy stances:<\/p>\n

A push for lower rates and a \u201ccost-conscious\u201d energy system by ensuring natural gas facilities prepare their facilities for extreme weather conditions and deliver natural gas<\/p>\n

Wants the commission to have a concrete preparedness plan to regulate the rapidly evolving energy industry<\/p>\n

More transparency, clear oversight, and responsible environmental stewardship <\/p>\n

In the news:
Texas candidate took money from Democrats, then flipped to GOP<\/a> <\/p>\n

Endorsements:
No recent endorsements. <\/p>\n

How to contact or learn more:
info@katherine4texas.com<\/p>\n

\"\"Campaign photo<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Campaign finance:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Major donors this cycle:<\/p>\n

Miles Boldrick, owner of Statewide Minerals Company \u2014 $25,000<\/p>\n

Marcia French, president of French oil company \u2014 $20,000<\/p>\n

Richard Moncrief of Moncrief Oil International \u2014 $15,000<\/p>\n

Experience:<\/p>\n

Chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party<\/p>\n

Decades-long investor in the energy sector<\/p>\n

Has a family-owned oil business in Midland<\/p>\n

Political ideology:<\/p>\n

French is hardline conservative who describes himself as a MAGA Republican<\/p>\n

A high-ranking political activist, French has led the push to shift the party further right<\/p>\n

Has drawn sharp criticism and calls to step down as county chair following a poll in which he asked his social media followers whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to the country. <\/p>\n

Policy stances:<\/p>\n

As commissioner, he wants to stop what he refers to as an Islamic invasion of Texas from stealing oil and gas resources<\/p>\n

Has pledged to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, funding and practices at the Texas Railroad Commission<\/p>\n

Has called to end Chinese government influence in the oil industry<\/p>\n

Has said he will promote more partnerships between the U.S. government and Israel, which he refers to as a key ally<\/p>\n

Vocal proponent of \u201cpro-life\u201d efforts and emphasizing the nuclear family, campaigning to establish a \u201cpro-family credentialing program\u201d for oil and gas operators<\/p>\n

In the news:<\/p>\n

Endorsements:<\/p>\n

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, a fiscal conservative group championing pro-family government<\/p>\n

American Jewish Conservatives, a nonprofit group advancing religious and conservative causes <\/p>\n

How to contact or learn more:<\/p>\n

Republican Jim Matlock<\/a> is also running for the seat.<\/p>\n

\"\"Campaign photo<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Campaign finance:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb0 Major donors this cycle:<\/p>\n

Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado \u2014 $1,000<\/p>\n

Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones \u2014 $3,000<\/p>\n

Texas State Representative Eugene Wu \u2014 $1,000<\/p>\n

Experience:<\/p>\n

Served as state representative in the Texas Legislature for four terms<\/p>\n

Career oil field mechanical engineer with more than two decades of experience<\/p>\n

Political ideology:<\/p>\n

A supporter of U.S. energy independence and efficiency, and lower carbon emissions, Rosenthal said he believes former President Joe Biden\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helped the country advance its energy needs<\/p>\n

Rosenthal said that President Donald Trump\u2019s administration is doing the bidding of oil and gas industry executives, adding that the Railroad Commission has taken a similar approach. He said the oil and gas industry is being regulated by people from the industry who now serve in government. <\/p>\n

The Railroad Commission, Rosenthal said, has not sufficiently enforced its regulations. The agency should apply existing laws, measure the results and work with the Texas Legislature on modifications, he said. <\/p>\n

Policy stances:<\/p>\n

Hiring community liaisons for the Texas Railroad Commission in every region, and expand language access to include Spanish and Vietnamese, among others<\/p>\n

A 24\/7 hotline for Texans managed by the railroad commission that includes the ability to text, track numbers for cases and resolution timelines<\/p>\n

More affordable gas rates by scrutinizing utility companies<\/p>\n

Requirements to capture gas, with enforcement timelines and support for smaller operators<\/p>\n

End flaring and venting practices to dispose of natural gas except in emergencies and adding modern leak detection and repair requirements<\/p>\n

Repurposing wells that no longer produce oil and gas for new industries, such as geothermal and carbon dioxide storage<\/p>\n

Augmenting well-plugging efforts and making public dashboards available for the public<\/p>\n

No new permits for companies that violate rules<\/p>\n

In the news:<\/p>\n

Endorsements:<\/p>\n

How to contact or learn more:
info@jonrosenthaltx.com
8524 Hwy 6 N., #340 Houston TX 77095<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Texas Oil & Gas Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete\u00a0list of them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[56510,64590,64591,10233,64592,27,29,28,6748],"class_list":["post-156895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-2026-primary-explainer","tag-elections-private-subject","tag-james-jim-wright-person","tag-primary-election","tag-state-agencies-subject","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-well-b-homepage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}