Campaign Contributions Top $3.4 Million in Texas Railroad Commission Republican Runoff

The Republican runoff for the Texas Railroad Commission has transformed into an unusually expensive down-ballot contest, with total contributions to candidates Wright and French surpassing $3.4 million since Feb. 22. A major driver of the spending surge is a $500,000 donation from Miriam Adelson’s political committee in support of Wright, signaling a shift in a race that has historically seen quiet campaigns.

Wright’s campaign announced it has raised nearly $2 million overall, holding approximately $58,000 in cash on hand as of Tuesday. In a Facebook post, Wright stated that Adelson’s contribution sent a message to French, writing that the donation underscored French’s past anti-Semitic rhetoric and attacks on Jewish people. Texas Republicans have previously condemned French over comments about Jewish people.

The high-dollar contest marks a departure for the three-member Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry. Nancy Sims said the office has generally been low-profile and that the race had not been very competitive for the last 30 years. However, this cycle has drawn substantial interest from major corporate and political donors. The Good Government Committee has given Wright about $100,000 in total, while Exxon Mobil’s political arm has contributed more than $20,000, alongside tens of thousands of dollars from several Exxon Mobil executives.

The winner of the Republican runoff will secure a spot on the November general election ballot to face a Democratic challenger. The general election will take place in a state where no Democrat has won a statewide office in decades.