Railroad Commissioner

Statewide

Incumbent James Wright (31.9%) and Bo French (31.7%) head to a May 26 Republican runoff in a tight five-way race. Jon Rosenthal ran unopposed for Democrats.

Incumbent: James Wright(R)

Primary — Mar 3, 2026GOP runoff likelyToss-Up

Despite the name, regulates Texas's oil, gas, and mining industries — not railroads. Oversees an industry producing 43% of U.S. crude oil, sets drilling permits, pipeline safety rules, and environmental standards.

Railroad Commissioner

Primary Results

Called · 100% reporting

Republican Primary

James Wright(i)

32.1%

621,421 votes

Advancing to runoff

Bo French

31.7%

614,457 votes

Advancing to runoff

James Matlock

19.3%

373,297 votes

Katherine Culbert

9.2%

178,329 votes

Hawk Dunlap

7.7%

148,468 votes

Democratic Primary

Jon Rosenthal wins

Jon Rosenthal

100.0%

1,907,233 votes

Updated 9:56 PM CT·TX SOS·Called by AP

Polls vs. Results

Republican Primary

Biggest miss: James Wright — polls were off by 11.1 points

Source:UH Hobby School, TX Secretary of State

Prediction vs. reality — poll predictions compared to actual results
Candidate	Party	Poll prediction (%)	Actual result (%)	Difference
James Wright	Republican	21%	32.1%	+11.1
Bo French	Republican	No poll data	31.7%	N/A
James Matlock	Republican	20%	19.3%	-0.7
Katherine Culbert	Republican	8%	9.2%	+1.2
Hawk Dunlap	Republican	No poll data	7.7%	N/A