Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal defeated Republican nominee Bo French in the Nov. 3 election for Texas’ oil and gas regulator, setting up an end to Republican control of all three seats.
The Railroad Commission of Texas still lists three Republicans on its current roster. When Rosenthal takes office, two Republicans will serve alongside him and retain a majority. Their party has held every seat since 1994.
The commission says its authority covers oil and natural gas activity, pipelines, natural gas utilities and mining. Despite its name, it no longer regulates railroads.
French faced criticism over a Sept. 13 social media post in which he described a photo of South Asian students at a University of Texas football game as showing a problem at the university. In another post, he claimed foreigners were displacing Americans. CBS News reported that several pictured students later identified themselves as U.S. citizens.
Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a Washington Examiner interview that he would not vote for French. Republican strategist Karl Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal column that he would vote for Rosenthal.
Before serving in the Texas House, Rosenthal spent 25 years working as an oil field engineer. He is the first Democrat elected to the commission since 1990. He is set to take office alongside the two Republican commissioners.
