Gov. Greg Abbott was in Deer Park on Tuesday, partly to campaign on behalf of Jim Wright, the incumbent chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. Wright is locked in a tight Republican primary runoff against Bo French, the former chair of the Tarrant County GOP.
In backing Wright in the May 26 runoff election, Abbott said Tuesday that Texas can't afford to have someone as inexperienced as French overseeing the state's oil and gas industry. That’s the primary role of the railroad commission, despite its name.
"His primary opponent doesn't know anything about oil and gas," Abbott said. "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. We need Jim Wright to be reelected to continue to lead that way."
The campaigns for French and Wright did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
French has worked in the oil and gas industry as an independent oil prospector and an energy trader, but he has never previously served as a regulator.
While Wright has the backing of both Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, French has the support of Attorney General Ken Paxton, a U.S. Senate candidate. The race has also drawn strong attention from conservative megadonors on both sides, with oil magnates Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks supporting French and real estate titan Harlan Crow and casino mogul Miriam Adelson backing Wright.
Barry Smitherman, who previously chaired the railroad commission, said the commission's work – as critical as it is to the state's economy – is often little understood by the public.
"The railroad commission is about empowering our most important industry, which is oil and gas," Smitherman said. "It contributes to the state budget, probably about 10% or 12%. It establishes the Rainy Day Fund, provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, and Texas leads America in oil production and gas production, which makes us now the number one country in the world in both."
RELATED: Bo French talks more about DEI than oil and gas. But he could soon regulate the industry in Texas
French nearly tied with Wright in the first round of voting of the Republican primary election in March, with neither receiving more than 50% of the vote, necessitating the runoff. Smitherman said that, while he's less familiar with French than with Wright, he's not surprised the race has been so close.
"When I was an office holder and a candidate," Smitherman said, "I was never worried about being beaten by a Democrat, but I was worried about somebody trying to get to the right of me. And I think that’s kind of where we are in Republican politics in Texas."
While Wright has focused on his record in office, French has campaigned heavily on culture war issues.
"He’s talked about the Islamic invasion of Texas. He’s talking about DEI. He’s talking about Chinese government and all this stuff like that and even abortion," said Jon Taylor, chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. "And it’s like, wait a minute, last time I checked, the railroad commission has nothing to do with any of that. But it tells you something about where Republican primary voters are right now."
Houston-area state Rep. Jon Rosenthal is the only Democratic candidate for railroad commissioner, having won an uncontested primary in March. He’ll face either French or Wright in November’s general election.
Early voting for the primary runoff continues through Friday, May 22.
Copyright 2026 Houston Public Media News 88.7
