Democrat wins Texas energy post with 52.5% of vote
Jon Rosenthal defeated Bo French in a race defined by the Republican nominee's controversial social media posts and a split among party leaders.
By Layla Petrov ·
Texas voters elected a new head of the state's energy regulatory agency on Tuesday. CBS News projected that Democrat Jon Rosenthal won the race for railroad commissioner, taking 52.5% of the vote against 45.6% for Republican Bo French. Approximately 93% of ballots were counted at the time of the projection. The victory marks the first time a Democrat has held this position since 1990.
The office is commonly known as the Texas Railroad Commissioner, but the role primarily oversees the state's oil and gas sectors. The state produces more than 40% of the nation's crude oil. Two other Republicans currently serve on the three-member commission. Rosenthal, a state representative from Houston and a former oil field engineer with 25 years of industry experience, will now serve alongside them.
The campaign was dominated by French's controversial statements. In September, the Midland native and former Tarrant County Republican chairman posted a photo of University of Texas students, calling them a "problem" because they appeared to be of South Asian descent. In a separate post using the same image, French wrote that social media was exposing how many Americans had been displaced by foreigners. Several of the students later confirmed they were American citizens.
French's remarks drew criticism from prominent Texas Republicans. Senator John Cornyn, who recently lost his primary to Ken Paxton, announced he would not vote for French. Karl Rove also stated he would not support the Republican nominee. These criticisms came after French had previously posted antisemitic and anti-Muslim comments during the campaign.
French's platform included calls to root out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. He also pledged to stop the "Islamic invasion of Texas" and support life and the nuclear family. Despite the controversy, French raised more than $700,000 in the period following the University of Texas social media post. Rosenthal raised more than $500,000 during the same timeframe.
The primary contest was contentious. Many prominent elected Republicans united against French's candidacy ahead of the May runoff, although he still secured the nomination. The general election result reflects a shift in the state's energy regulatory leadership, ending a 36-year stretch of Republican control over the specific race.
