There is no office that is more corrupt than the Texas Railroad Commission, Warford says. .results_text { .inner_percentage.Libertarian { Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2024, Apply for the Ballotpedia Fellows Program, Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024, Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2022. complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. .results_row td:first-child { By Mose Buchele, KUT November 3, 2022 10:33 am Government & Politics, KUT Warford campaign site & Julia Reihs, KUT How to run for office | [5], The commission does not regulate the railroad industry, but instead oversees the oil and gas business in Texas. } overflow-y: auto; Early voting lasts from Monday through Feb. 25, and election day is March 1. width: 100%; padding-top: 8px; background-color: #ccc; The Commission also could have prevented the 2021 Texas grid failure which left millions of people without power and cost hundreds of Texans their lives. padding-top: 3px; .image-candidate-thumbnail-wrapper { | After Christian and Stogner advanced to a runoff, Jeremy Blackman of the Houston Chronicle wrote, "Railroad Commission elections are usually sleepy affairs, but the agency has been gaining renewed attention for its role in last years deadly winter storm. margin-top: 0; Its how voters feel about that statement, as much as issues of the blackout and global warming, that may decide the race for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. .votebox-covid-disclaimer { background-color: green; top: -1px; Its amazing how many people have no clue what a railroad commissioner does, Scott Hommel, chair of the Republican Party of Lamar County, told the audience. The things Im talking about are keeping the lights on, lowering utility prices, creating energy jobs, protecting our clean air, making sure people have clean air and clean water, he says. Incumbents are bolded and underlined. margin-bottom: .75em; .election_results_text { swig secret menu; pete postlethwaite brother; My Cart. And we see that across the board.. Christian said the state Legislature, not the Railroad Commission itself, has the authority to change the agencys name. position: relative; Luke Warford advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 1, 2022. display: inline; font-weight: 200; Incumbent Wayne Christian, chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in the state, is headed for a Republican primary runoff election against Sarah Stogner, an oil and gas attorney who posted a campaign ad of herself mostly naked atop an oil pump jack. Roman McAllen defeated Chris Spellmon in the Democratic primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 6, 2018. } border-right: 1px solid #ddd; The crowded primary race for a seat on the Railroad Commission was too close to call late Tuesday night, but by Wednesday morning, 98.6% of the votes had been counted and Christian had secured 47.1% of the votes, falling short of the 50% needed to win the election outright. font-size: 12px; He was a member of a country/gospel band that was a finalist for a Grammy Award in 1979. We have to be educating people on what the oil and gas industry does, she said. color: #888; Current members of the Commission receive 70% of their campaign donations from the industry they are supposed to regulate, making it ineffective. .non_result_row { State legislature | Fonda was also there to bring money from her climate-change-focused political action committee to state political races and to whip up votes for the Democrats. Unicorns exist, so here I am Im not a politician, I accept no campaign contributions.. background-color: #6db24f; All Texans deserve access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy. font-weight: 300; "[1] Before the runoff, Christian's campaign spokesman had told The Texas Tribune that "The choice in May couldn't be clearer: a pro-oil and gas businessman endorsed by virtually every conservative watchdog group and industry trade association, or a liberal lawyer that will increase regulations on the oil and gas industry. padding: 20px; margin-right: 10px; Incumbent Wayne Christian defeated Luke Warford, Jaime Dez, and Hunter Crow in the general election for Texas Railroad Commission on November 8, 2022. Incumbents are bolded and underlined . Source 1 Source 2 } Lyndon, Sylvan, Lima, most of Scio and height: 50px; Hunter Crow advanced from the Green convention for Texas Railroad Commission on April 9, 2022. } I have [contaminated] groundwater, he takes $100,000 bribes, Stogner said, referring to leaking pipes in her West Texas area. } color: #888; width: 100%; School districts | color:white; .race_header, .results_text, .results_table_container, .votebox_legend { padding-bottom: 3px; Despite the old-timey-sounding name, a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas has been called one of the most consequential climate-related offices in the country. Incumbents are bolded and underlined. If you were near the Mount Carmel apartments in East Austin on a recent sunny morning you might have spotted an unlikely celebrity in a little crowd gathered on the lawn. If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required? .quote-icons { .image-candidate-thumbnail-wrapper .image-candidate-thumbnail { vertical-align: middle; }, 100); No. .race_header { Mose Buchele is the Austin-based broadcast reporter for KUT's NPR partnership StateImpact Texas . Warford is a former business consultant and Democratic Party staffer who wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 1994, when Mary Scott Nabers lost to Carole Keeton Rylander. } color: #888; Im running to keep the lights on. Hommel, walking between tables in the audience, seemed impressed. Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2022 (May 24 Republican primary runoff), Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2020, Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2018, Texas railroad commission official website, District of Columbia (board of education), State executive officials serving in home states, Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Texas_Railroad_Commissioner_election,_2022&oldid=8896298, Pages using DynamicPageList3 dplreplace parser function, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. } This agency is supposed to be a consumer protection agency, but it has become an industry protection agency. .votebox-results-cell--check { Democrat Luke Warford is challenging incumbent Wayne Christian for his seat. .outer_percentage { Stogner, who lives on a ranch in Monahans, west of Odessa, said Christian is a politician bought and controlled by donors. color: #fff; What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important? padding-top: 30px !important; } .image-candidate-thumbnail { font-weight: 300; padding-left: 0; WebChristi Craddick Chairman Jim Wright Commissioner Railroad Commissioners are elected statewide to six-year, staggered terms. Christi Craddick Chairman Wayne Christian Commissioner Jim $(".collapse-all").on('click', () => { color: #fff; Sittons opponent, now-Commissioner Jim Wright, raised less than $13,000. position: relative; } padding-left: 10px; Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, and Joe Lombardo, the Las Vegas-area sheriff who was endorsed by Donald Trump. Christian is a former gospel singer turned financial adviser turned longtime Texas politician. width: 50px; font-size: 1.25em; Elections in 2023 | if (chevron.hasClass('fa-chevron-up')) { When he accepted a $100,000 campaign donation from a company with business before the Railroad Commission, his GOP primary opponent Sara Stogner accused him of taking bribes.. During the interview, Tipton criticized Christians tenure as railroad commissioner. .votebox_legend { And those things just simply arent political., The truth of it is the greatest scam in the history of our nation is this green environmentalism extremism catastrophism, Christian said in a recent interview on a YouTube show called The Crude Truth. But its not so important that we can contaminate our air, contaminate our groundwater.. background-color: #db0000; text-align: center; .results_row.winner { vertical-align: top; U.S. President | } background-color: #dac113; He was a member of a country/gospel band that was a finalist for a Grammy Award in 1979. As the youngest statewide Democratic candidate in more than 30 years in Texas, I will bring a fresh perspective to the Texas Railroad Commission. .votebox_legend .non_result_row { } David Prindle, a political science professor at UT Austin who wrote a book on the Railroad Commission, says thats a position commissioners have held basically since the start of the Texas oil industry. .inner_percentage.Green { The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018. Source. a[aria-expanded=false] .fa-chevron-down { width: 350px; .electionsectionheading { We need to include all stakeholders (including operators, landowners, mineral owners, regulators, and the general public) at the table as we usher in the next era of Texas energy independence.". State executives | Source1Source2Source3. Tech: Matt Latourelle Ryan Burch Kirsten Corrao Beth Dellea Travis Eden Tate Kamish Margaret Kearney Eric Lotto Joseph Sanchez. } position: relative; .panel-body { } if (window.jQuery) { height: auto; .race_header.libertarian { display: none; Research: Josh Altic Vojsava Ramaj $(".expand-all").on('click', () => { Stogner told the audience she wants to focus on reducing groundwater contamination and air pollution in Texas and tried to reassure them that shes sufficiently conservative by saying that she opposes abortion, favors gun rights and does not want to defund police departments. margin-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; } left: 0; if ($(this).next('div.vis_widget_table').is(":hidden")) { overflow-x: auto; } We have no time to wait!! padding-left: 8px; WebMenu Elections > 2022 > States > Railroad Commissioner. position: relative; text-align: left; position: relative; Religion is something he brings up often on the stump. $("div.vis_widget_title").each(function(index) { width: 100% !important; } background-color: #db0000; Tickets are on sale now for the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, happening in downtown Austin on Sept. 22-24. .non_result_row th { Show us with your support. } padding-bottom: 7px; margin-bottom: 0px; chevron.removeClass('fa-chevron-up'); Putting Texans to work to provide clean, reliable, affordable energy; 2. }); width: 90%; } font-style: italic; The core responsibilities of the Texas Railroad Commission are implementing and enforcing existing laws and regulations governing the oil and gas industry, directing Commission resources towards particular issues and areas of concern, and educating the public about the issues the Commission is working on and any other business that comes before the Commission. There were no incumbents in this race. This year, he says, his party has a chance. .results_row.winner { background-color: #f4f4f4; } Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? display: block; The two main contenders in this years race for commissioner are incumbent Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Luke Warford. Incumbent Wayne Christian defeated Sarah Stogner in the Republican primary runoff for Texas Railroad Commission on May 24, 2022. } During the campaign, Christian who has a big advantage over his opponent in party endorsements and campaign cash to spend has accused Stogner of being pro-abortion, anti-gun and in favor of sexualized content in schools. His campaign has released some of Stogners old tweets, including one that said men shouldnt legislate what decisions women can make about their own bodies (Stay out of my uterus please) and another that questioned the point of legislation aimed at banning critical race theory in Texas schools (But I sure as hell know we need to be teach[ing] kid[s] the reality of slavery and discrimination that still exists). Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. .race_header.green { Both candidates had advanced to the runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 1 primary. Copyright 2022 KUT 90.5. Hunter Crow advanced from the Green convention for Texas Railroad Commission on April 9, 2022. } .mw-content-ltr td.votebox-results-cell--text, "I am an experienced oil and gas attorney focusing on bringing fair, predictable, and effective leadership to the Railroad Commission of Texas. max-height: 580px; .mw-body #mw-content-text th.votebox-results-cell--text { margin: 8px auto; If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you. } background: #f5f5f5; background-color: #f9d334; .votebox-results-cell--number { ", On his campaign website, Christian said, "A clean environment and a thriving oil and gas industry are not mutually exclusive. } border-bottom: 1px solid grey; .votebox_bp_logo { In a one-minute video accompanying his campaign launch, Warford puts it more dramatically. His website listed endorsements from U.S. Sen Ted Cruz (R) and three members of Texas' delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. .inner_percentage.Republican { max-width: 75px; One of the tightest governors races in the country is between Gov. .results_table_container { vertical-align: middle; "I love this industry and Texans deserve better than Waynes empty sound bites.". Incumbent Wayne Christian and Sarah Stogner advanced to a runoff. chevron.removeClass('fa-chevron-up'); .non_result_row div { } position: relative; .panel-group .panel {margin-bottom: 10px;} text-align: center; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center; width: 50px; $('.collapse').collapse('show'); widget_load_check_jquery(); }); padding-left: 0; Christian said on his website that he has a record of fighting against unnecessary regulations and said he "believes all regulations should be consistent, predictable, and based on sound science. Crystal Lyte, left, and Stephen Lange Ranzini, right, are both running for a Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners seat representing District 2 in the Aug. 2, Do you value our journalism? The biggest threat we currently have is political, Christian said, before launching into criticism of efforts to curb climate change that often take aim at the oil and gas industry. Christian's professional experience includes working in business, banking, and real estate and owning a financial services business. } } } position: absolute; Apply for the Ballotpedia Fellows Program, Lieutenant Governor font-size: 12px; } ", Sources: padding-top: 3px; Warford is a former business consultant and Democratic Party staffer who wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 1994, when Mary Scott Nabers lost to Carole Keeton Rylander. display: inline-block; width: 100%; Operations: Meghann Olshefski Mandy Morris Kelly Rindfleisch Democratic primary runoff candidates, = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. margin-top: 1em; background-color: #db0000; .race_header.republican { top: 0px; The man behind Mattress Mack: salesman, gambler introvert? color: #0645ad; }) by Mitchell Ferman Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2022, Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses. } padding-bottom: 8px; One Commissioner position is on the ballot every two years. } Voters will decide the GOP nominee for a commission seat in a May 24 runoff election. } .votebox-results-metadata { } Incumbent Christi Craddick defeated Weston Martinez in the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 6, 2018. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? padding-bottom: 0px; } font-size: 16px; .votebox { For more information about the Republican primary, click here. Railroad Commissioners need to be knowledgeable about the Texas energy sector. (function() { "I see my fellow politicians saying, 'Were for all of the above energy! That, I disagree with. } .non_result_row { overflow-y: hidden; left: 0; J. David Goodman, reporting from Houston Mar 1, 2022 George P. Bush appears to } Conrail 4.0. Christian faced corruption allegations from some of his opponents after he voted against the recommendation of Railroad Commission staff to approve a permit for an oil field waste dump facility, then days later accepted a $100,000 campaign donation from the company that received the permit. } else { VoterInfobyState_Timeout_jquery = setTimeout(widget_load_check_jquery, 500); margin-right: 10px; .inner_percentage.Republican { top: -5px; font-style: italic; Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who: .votebox { Chrysta Castaeda and Roberto Alonzo advanced to a runoff. vertical-align: middle; The primary was scheduled for March 1, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for May 24, 2022. How to run for office | width: 65px; z-index:1; top: -5px; margin: 0px 10px; } } While Christian did not win the race outright, he avoided a primary upset like the one in March 2020, when his colleague, former Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, reelection in the Republican primary after raising $2.2 million. .race_header.green { Just as important as industry knowledge, however, is the ability to communicate with legislators, business, and the general public about the work of the Commission. }) .non_result_row div { .panel-heading:hover { cursor: pointer;} chevron.removeClass('fa-chevron-up'); } For more on how we identify key messages, click here. [1] In addition to the U.S. presidential race, Texas voters elected the Class II U.S. The general election will occur on November 5, 2024. It's actually undermining the market.. padding-bottom: 8px; padding: 5px; } No candidate is above 30 percent at the moment; Ruben Ramirez leads with 28 percent. .votebox-covid-disclaimer { Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters? background-color: #003388; Through his years of campaigning, Christian has often urged voters to support the only Christian on the ballot. He says the slogan is a way to get his name out, which is especially useful when running for an obscure political office that most people dont know much about. Federal courts | font-size: 16px; .mw-content-ltr td.votebox-results-cell--text, margin-top: 0px; } When he finished, Rice-Tims, Hommel and the audience started asking questions starting with the name thing. width: 100% !important; "[2], Christian was originally elected to the commission in 2016, defeating Grady Yarbrough (D), 53% to 38%, for an open seat after David Porter did not seek re-election. width: 35px !important; Should inmates in Texas be eligible for early parole if they exhibit good behavior? They still view themselves as the managers of the Texas economy, he says. Ballotpedia features 408,463 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. MTA crew saves toddler from train tracks near New York City. Ballot measures, Who represents me? } } --view-more-background: #f0a236; Born on June 22, 1984, Sarah Stogner is a Republican candidate for the role of Texas Railroad Commissioner. Then he pledged to push the state GOP to change the agencys name: My voice will not be silenced in changing the name of the Railroad Commission, because people need to know what that is.. Texas is holding an election for one of three seats on the Texas Railroad Commission on November 5, 2024. The primary is March 5, 2024, and a primary runoff is May 28, 2024. The filing deadline is December 11, 2023. There are no official candidates yet for this election. Note: The following list includes official candidates only. The filing deadline is December 11, 2023. Incumbent Wayne Christian defeated Luke Warford, Jaime Dez, and Hunter Crow in the general election for Texas Railroad Commission on November 8, 2022. } Subject to random alcohol and drug testing pursuant to font-size: 12px; text-align: left !important; I am committed to social and economic justice for all -- that includes addressing issues of defunding and demilitarizing the police and granting civilian review boards subpoena power; legalizing cannabis in ways that create restorative justice, making up for decades of discrimination in arrests for possession; abolishing ICE; addressing systemic racism and standing up for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? Source, = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. James Wright defeated incumbent Ryan Sitton in the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 3, 2020. They defeated Tom Slocum Jr., Marvin Summers, and Dawayne Tipton in the Republican primary for Texas Railroad Commission on March 1, 2022. border: 1px solid #DDDDDD; Stogner received 15.2% of the vote. .inner_percentage.Green { padding-bottom: 3px; The incident (in which Christian denied any wrongdoing) was emblematic of a state agency whose elected commissioners are overwhelmingly funded by the industry they regulate, a practice recently documented in a series of reports from the watchdog group Commission Shift. max-width: 75px; Despite the old-timey-sounding name, a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas has been called one of the most consequential climate-related offices in the country. letter-spacing: 0.03em; .non_result_row div { .indicate_scroll { display: inline; width: 100%; margin: 0; Heres who is running. font-style: italic; } In order to manage the Texas economy, they want to help and nurture a healthy petroleum industry., I dont think Wayne Christian and the current Railroad commissioners are supporting the industry as a whole, Warford says. Source. The current commissioners fall short in all of these areas and I would work tirelessly to improve each of them as Commissioner. Incumbent Wayne Christian defeated Luke Warford, Jaime Dez, and Hunter Crow in the general election for Texas Railroad Commission on November 8, 2022. .image-candidate-thumbnail-wrapper { } Joe Gaines, an oil and gas businessman, attended the event and said he wanted to see if it could help him make up his mind about who to support in the May 24 election. Katija Gruene advanced from the Green convention for Texas Railroad Commission on April 18, 2020. left: 0px; Candidates of the same party will compete in primary contests on Aug. 2. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? May 11, 20225 AM Central. Apr 2 Give me a good dog, and Ill give you a country - Ponce de Leon Happy Birthday Texas has been a global energy leader for decades and the energy industry is vital to providing affordable and reliable energy here in Texas, around the country, and around the world. } chevron.addClass('fa-chevron-down'); Elections ELECTION RESULTS: Incumbent Republican Wayne Christian leads the Texas railroad commissioner race, but runoff appears likely Check here for the results .votebox { I would say the first Historical event of my lifetime would be the election of President Barack Obama are first African American President of the united states. top: -5px; text-align: left; border-bottom: 1px solid grey; --title-background: #334aab; ", Apply for the Ballotpedia Fellows Program, Federal and state primary competitiveness, Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022. complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. } In a lot of ways this election cycle for this race is totally different than any that we've seen before, says Warford, because the issues are just way more in people's faces.. background-color: #f9d334; font-size: 12px; --subtitle-background: #334aab; .inner_percentage.Republican { width: 50px; margin-top: 0px; Nothing illegal or immoral, he added, before listing all of his industry endorsements. Christian was up first and talked about how Texas has exported liquified natural gas to help Europe during its energy crisis following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the importance of oil and gas to the nations economy and how Democrats are trying to abolish the industry in the name of slowing climate change. top: 2px; font-size: 0.9em; .votebox { } Meanwhile, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates power plants, drafted and implemented weatherization rules in October. display: flex; What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline? background-color: #003388; } $28.69 - $37.69 an hour. Helping establish global ESG (environmental, social, and governance) metrics and standards. .votebox { .results_table_container { display: block; } } Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?