Jon Rosenthal’s victory in Texas’ Railroad Commission race ends Republicans’ decades-long hold on the three-seat regulator overseeing oil and gas activity and pipelines across the state.
Democrat Rosenthal defeated Republican Bo French in the Nov. 3 contest. French conceded late Tuesday, and The Texas Tribune reported that The Associated Press called the race early Wednesday.
The Texas Election Results live tally listed Rosenthal with 4,288,811 votes, French with 3,698,073 and Libertarian Arthur DiBianca with 142,234, out of 8,129,118 ballots. The page was updated Nov. 4. The figures were unofficial.
Texas Public Radio reported that Republicans had controlled all three commission seats since 1994. The station also reported that Rosenthal is the first Democrat elected to the commission since Bob Krueger in 1990.
The commission’s name reflects a former role: it no longer regulates railroads. The Railroad Commission of Texas says its current remit includes oil and natural gas activity, pipelines, other energy-related sectors, natural gas utilities and mining operations.
French faced criticism after a Sept. 13 social media post compared a crowd photo to a University of Texas graduation. The Texas Tribune and FOX 7 Austin reported that the image showed South Asian students celebrating at a Texas Longhorns football game.
Rosenthal told supporters, “The people of Texas have sent a message: the politics of hate no longer work,” Texas Public Radio reported. In his concession post, French wrote, “Tonight wasn't the night our campaign had hoped for.”
