Bo French Declares Victory over Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright in GOP Primary Runoff
French won backing from Ken Paxton and major donors after campaigning on DEI and immigration, and he will face Democrat Jon Rosenthal in November.
- On Tuesday, Bo French defeated incumbent Jim Wright in the Texas Railroad Commissioner primary runoff with 50.6% of the vote to Wright's 49.4%, winning by 1.2 percentage points despite backing from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
- French's victory emerged from a March primary where neither candidate exceeded 50%, forcing a runoff that became a clash between French's far-right cultural messaging and Wright's oil and gas industry experience, backed by West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks.
- Oil tycoons Dunn and Wilks funneled more than $1 million through the Texas Freedom Fund for the Advancement of Justice for French, representing more than 60% of his war chest, while French campaigned on deporting 100 million people and accused Wright of allowing 'Sharia law' within the agency.
- French will face Democrat state Rep. Jon Rosenthal in November's general election and is expected to be heavily favored, while Abbott's April criticism that French 'doesn't know anything about oil and gas' failed to sway voters.
- Control of the Texas Railroad Commission—which oversees the state's oil and gas industry and manages a $593 million budget—carries significant weight, particularly as Democrats have been absent since 1995 and Republicans have controlled it for thirty years.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Anti-DEI candidate declares victory in GOP primary for Texas oil agency
Conservative Bo French has declared victory in the Republican primary runoff election for a seat on Texas‘ Railroad Commission after campaigning on opposing 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 …
Far-Right Extremist Wins Texas Regulatory Runoff
The Texas Tribune reports: Bo French declared victory over Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright in the primary runoff Tuesday night, in a campaign where French prioritized issues like fighting DEI and Sharia Law over traditional regulatory issues. A former Tarrant County GOP chairman, French espouses some of the most extreme views among Texas Republican officials, even as the party has pivoted further to the right in recent years. Earlier this year,…
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