An industry-favored incumbent is headed for a Texas Republican primary runoff against a far-right challenger who’s seeking to help lead the state’s influential oil and gas regulator.
At stake is a seat on the three-member Railroad Commission of Texas, which doesn’t oversee the state’s railroad system, despite its name.
Incumbent Jim Wright and former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French received the most votes as of Tuesday night, though a state tally showed that neither was able to surpass the 50 percent threshold with three other candidates in the field.
French has sparked headlines for calling to deport some Native Americans and is running on a platform to stop “the Islamic Invasion of Texas.” Wright tied his campaign to his regulatory experience, including work to rewrite the state’s oil field waste rules for the first time in about 40 years.
