Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:05 a.m. May 27 with final vote tallies.
Bo French, former chairman of the Tarrant County GOP, secured the Republican nomination for Texas Railroad commissioner, according to unofficial voting results.
French won 663,679 votes, or 50.56%, according to unofficial results from the Texas secretary of state’s office. Jim Wright, the incumbent railroad commissioner seeking his second term, won 648,978 votes.
In Tarrant County, French won 51.92% of votes, according to unofficial results from the county elections office. French did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Tim Davis, current chairman of the Tarrant GOP, described French’s win as a sign that “Tarrant County really is the leading county in Republican politics.”
“It shows that the rest of the state is recognizing the leadership that we have here in Tarrant County to all levels of our government,” Davis said.
He wasn’t concerned by the narrow margin by which French won both the state and the county, noting that margins are “tough to interpret,” especially in runoff elections which typically draw low voter turnout.
“We kind of joke all you need is 50% plus one vote — and Bo got more than that, for sure,” Davis said.
The Texas Railroad Commission oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. The commission has three members who serve six-year terms. One seat appears on the ballot every two years, and members are elected statewide, meaning every Texas voter has the chance to weigh in on each seat.
French will face Democratic nominee Jon Rosenthal in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
The runoff between French and Wright was triggered when neither candidate secured more than 50% of votes during the March 3 primaries. Each candidate received about 32% of votes statewide and about 41% of Tarrant votes.
Throughout his campaign, French vowed to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and eradicate “radical Islam” from the railroad commission.
He served as chairman of the Tarrant GOP from 2023 to 2025, stepping down last year to run for railroad commissioner.
Last summer, French faced backlash from elected GOP leaders across the state who demanded that he resign as party chairman after he posted a poll on social media asking whether Jewish or Muslim people pose a “bigger threat to America.” Republicans ranging from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker condemned the post as “bigoted,” saying at the time that French did not reflect the values of the Republican Party.
French, who refused to resign over the controversy, ultimately deleted the poll and apologized for posting it, saying last summer that people “misunderstood the intent.”
Reflecting on last year’s controversy, Davis doesn’t think French’s past needs to be reconciled — it just needs to be “recognized,” he said. French’s hard-line conservative stances on issues such as immigration resonated with voters, he added.
“Our party is really broad with a lot of voices, a lot of viewpoints, and a very strong, very wide base of the same voices and viewpoints,” Davis said. “I think that we see that reflected in our election results.”
Railroad commissioner was one of four GOP races that went to runoffs, in addition to U.S. senator, U.S. House District 30, Texas attorney general and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3.
Polls were open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. May 26. Early voting was May 18-22.
U.S. House District 30
Everett Jackson, a small-business owner and community organizer, won with 4,948 votes, or 57.48%, according to unofficial results. Dallas-based lawyer Sholdon Daniels, received 3,660 votes.
Jackson will face Dallas pastor Frederick Haynes III, the Democratic nominee, in November. The congressional district falls mostly in Dallas County but includes a small portion of Tarrant encompassing a sliver of Arlington and the southern portion of Grand Prairie.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3
Thomas Smith, a lawyer in the Texas attorney general’s office, won with 719,224 votes, or 58.09%, according to unofficial results. Bexar County attorney Alison Fox received 518,975 votes.
Smith will face Democratic nominee Okey Anyiam in November. They’re seeking the seat on Texas’ highest court for criminal cases, made up of nine judges.
Texas attorney general
Mayes Middleton, a state senator representing Galveston, won with 755,593 votes, or 55.24%, according to unofficial results. Chip Roy, a U.S. congressman representing Fredericksburg, received 612,171 votes.
Middleton will face Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson, who won the Democratic nomination in a runoff Tuesday.
U.S. senator
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won with 885,949 votes, or 63.84%, according to unofficial results. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn received 501,725 votes.
In November, Paxton will face Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state representative from Round Rock.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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