Wright takes Texas Railroad Commission race, dashing Democrat hopes of statewide win
Jim Wright, an oil and gas businessman from South Texas, has won a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission in a defeat of Dallas attorney Chrysta Castañeda, who hoped to be the first Democrat to hold statewide office in more than two decades.
In a race closely followed by national Democrats and environmental groups, Wright was ahead in unofficial results overnight, and Castañeda conceded the race on Wednesday morning. Wright bears no relation to the deceased former U.S. House Speaker and Texas Democrat Jim Wright.
The Orange Grove-based Republican, who notched a surprise victory over incumbent Ryan Sitton in the March primary, will join the commission’s three-member board, which is tasked with regulating the oil and gas industry as well as coal and uranium mining in Texas. A Democrat has not served on the commission since 1994.
“Texans have spoken. Our state is not for sale to radical liberals from New York and California,” Wright said in a statement on Wednesday. “Texas will determine its own energy future, and that is a future that includes an all of the above approach led by fossil fuels. Together we will find new ways to improve our climate and environment.”
The typically low-profile contest earned national attention, with Castañeda casting it as the most important environmental race in the country. State Democrat officials were optimistic about Castañeda’s chances ahead of Election Day, pointing to her campaign’s late surge of fundraising dollars and high voter interest in races up and down the ballot.
Between Sept. 25 and Oct. 24, Castañeda raised $3.7 million, outpacing Wright’s $689,973 during that time, according to The Texas Tribune. Castañeda’s fundraising totals included $2.6 million from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who also spent millions on television ad campaigns urging Texans to vote for Joe Biden.
“I am so grateful to the millions of Texans who turned out and voted for a cleaner, healthier Texas,” Castañeda said in a Wednesday statement. “Our movement is about more than just this election, so even though we may not have won this round, we have made a tremendous impact.”
Castañeda, best known for winning a $146 million verdict for the famed oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens in 2016, was often critical of Wright’s record with the Railroad Commission. In 2017, Wright paid $181,500 in violations to the commission after a business he owned violated state environmental rules. Wright told E&E News that he was not responsible for the violations at DeWitt Recyclable Products, which he sold in 2014, and that Castañeda exaggerated the issue in television ads.
During the campaign, Wright and some industry groups frequently linked Castañeda’s increased environmental regulation proposals with the Green New Deal, a wide-ranging and hotly debated package of legislation that aims to transition the United States from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In social media posts and interviews, Wright said the policies would increase energy prices and hurt Texas jobs.
“I think Texans are still very conservative, and I think Texans are smart enough to realize what oil and gas provides for our state, and I don’t think they’re looking at somebody who wants to … impede our success in any way,” Wright told The Texas Tribune last month.
Wright will serve a six-year term alongside Republicans Christi Craddick and Wayne Christian, who were not up for re-election this year. Matt Sterett of the Libertarian Party and Katija Gruene of the Green Party were also on the ballot this year, both earning less than 3 percent each as of Wednesday morning.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 9:43 AM.
