Texas Railroad Commission Race Pits Rosenthal Against French

Texas voters will choose a member of the Texas Railroad Commission in November 2026, as Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal and Republican Bo French compete for a six-year term overseeing the state's oil and gas industry. The contest centers on infrastructure reliability, environmental responsibilities, regulatory enforcement and the candidates' approaches to the agency's work.

The three-member commission issues drilling permits, establishes production rules, monitors pipeline safety and regulates natural gas distribution rates. The Dallas Morning News editorial board endorsed Rosenthal on October 13, arguing that his engineering background and industry experience make him qualified to lead the agency. Libertarian candidate Arthur DiBianca is also running.

Rosenthal, 63, is a mechanical engineer who spent decades working in the oil and gas industry before entering politics. KXAN reported on October 11 that he entered the race after the 2021 Texas winter storm, which caused widespread power outages and 161 cold-exposure-related deaths.

Rosenthal has described himself as a “drill-baby-drill Democrat” and argues that Texas can maintain a strong energy industry while addressing environmental risks and community concerns.

“It needs to stay alive,” Rosenthal said. “At the same time, it needs to be responsive to communities, responsible for the environment.”

He has identified natural gas delivery failures during the 2021 storm as a critical infrastructure problem. Rosenthal said he would work with lawmakers and industry representatives to strengthen protections for essential gas infrastructure.

“I would work with industry and the legislature to make sure that we have requirements in place that work with everybody to ensure natural gas delivery, and that means weatherizing our critical natural gas infrastructure,” Rosenthal said.

Another priority is addressing Texas' orphan wells, inactive oil and gas wells without a legally responsible owner to seal them. More than 11,000 such wells have been identified statewide and can release toxic substances into the environment, according to KXAN.

The Texas Railroad Commission reported plugging more than 2,000 orphan wells in 2025 at a cost of $125,643,478. Rosenthal supports seeking additional state funding and imposing fees and penalties on serious violators and polluters.

“It has to be all-of-government approach because it is a massive problem in Texas,” Rosenthal said.

The Dallas Morning News also highlighted Rosenthal's efforts to reduce routine natural gas flaring. During the 2025 legislative session, he filed House Bill 459, which would have required the commission to adopt a policy eliminating routine flaring. The bill never received a hearing.

“We are wasting a natural resource,” Rosenthal said.

The editorial board argued that the commission needs additional resources and stronger accountability, while noting that Rosenthal favors a relatively low-regulation environment for the energy industry. Rosenthal has argued that existing rules should be enforced consistently rather than expanded unnecessarily.

The board also described the commission as operating like a “rubber-stamp” agency in documented cases and raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving regulators and the industry they oversee. Rosenthal has supported limiting or banning campaign contributions connected to the industries regulated by the commission.

French, a former Tarrant County Republican Party chair, grew up in Midland in a family involved in oil and gas for 80 years, according to his campaign website. He said a decade working as an energy trader gave him the “expertise to champion smart, pro-energy policies.” His website also describes his security company as providing protection for the “world’s largest energy companies in one of the most volatile regions on earth.”

French wants to reduce what he calls a “regulatory stranglehold” on energy operators. He has also criticized the state's Historically Underutilized Business program, which requires agencies to solicit bids from minority- and female-owned businesses for certain contracts but does not guarantee awards based on race or gender.

“This is an opportunity to turn our energy industry around and get it pointed in the right direction,” French said on The Mark Davis Show in January, according to KXAN.

French has proposed extending his social-policy positions to the commission, including opposing what he calls the “Islamic invasion of Texas” and establishing a “pro-family credentialing program” for oil and gas operators. His campaign did not respond to KXAN's request for an interview.

French also faced criticism from Republican leaders following social media posts about South Asian students shown in a University of Texas football video after the team's September victory over Ohio State. French questioned the ethnic makeup of the student section and claimed that Americans were being displaced by foreigners.

“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” French wrote in one post.

In another post featuring the same image, French wrote, “Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine.”

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows criticized the remarks, saying, “You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity.”

French responded, “It’s not about race, it’s about policy,” and added, “I believe that we should be prioritizing Americans, not foreigners. And so the problem as I see is that there are — and I think a lot of people would agree with this — that too many of our institutions are prioritizing people who are not Americans.”

The candidates could also participate in a televised debate before Election Day. Rosenthal told KXAN that the campaigns had agreed to a debate in Dallas on October 22, 2026, although French had not publicly confirmed the event as of October 11.