Conservative Bo French has clinched victory in the Republican primary runoff election for a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas after campaigning on opposing Islam and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. French ousted incumbent commissioner Jim Wright, who was backed by major oil companies and Republican state leaders.
The Texas Railroad Commission, despite its name, does not regulate railroads, but the energy industry in the Lone Star State. It is widely considered to be one of the most powerful agencies in the state, overseeing all phases of the oil and gas production process as well as pipeline safety and natural gas rates.
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The commission is made up of just three people, who serve staggered six-year terms. Wright, a career oil field worker, was first elected to the commission in 2020.
Wright faced off against French on Tuesday in a tight runoff election after neither of the candidates was able to secure more than 50% of the vote during the March primary. At the time, Wright secured 32.1% of the vote, while French received 31.75%, according to tallies from the Associated Press.
The tight runoff election was called Wednesday morning, with French securing 50.6% of the vote. Wright took home 49.4% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.
French declared victory Tuesday night, writing in a post to X that he was “deeply grateful” for the support from Texas Republicans.
“Our campaign focused on defending oil and gas, and putting America First—and that’s exactly what I will continue fighting for as we turn our attention to radical Democrat [state Rep.] Jon Rosenthal,” French wrote.
Throughout his campaign, Wright pointed to his record of serving on the commission and prioritizing the upholding of environmental and safety standards while also encouraging innovation and job creation in the oil and gas industry.
The incumbent commissioner drew the backing of major oil and gas companies, including Chevron and Exxon Mobil, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and several state Republican lawmakers.
Wright has called himself a conservative and said that he is aligned with the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda.
French took his campaign a step further, however, using his support for President Donald Trump as a reason he should be elected to the commission.
“It is critical that this industry is overseen by a dedicated MAGA conservative to give Trump the backing he needs. That’s why Bo is running,” his campaign website reads.
French, a former chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party and owner of a family oil business in Midland, Texas, has no prior regulatory experience.
While Wright campaigned on his background in the industry, French ran on ideology and controversial policies beyond energy.
In April, French said his first legislative priority as Railroad Commissioner would be to expand a law prohibiting the sale of Texas land to non-citizens from adversarial countries like China and Russia to include Muslim-majority countries.
French has claimed Islam poses an “existential threat” to Texas’ residents’ way of life, putting oil and gas resources in the state at risk.
He has also vowed to end DEI practices in the Commission, end Chinese influence over the Texas oil industry, and create a pro-family and anti-abortion program for Texas oil and gas operators.
Additionally, he pledged to push for a joint partnership directly between the commission and Israel. These campaign issues have sparked direct backlash from Abbott, who claimed in April that French “doesn’t know anything about oil and gas.”
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“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 said, according to Houston Public Media. “We need Jim Wright to be reelected to continue to lead that way.”
French will face off against Rosenthal in the November general election.
