Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Sarah Stogner would be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Three days later, the group headquartered in Center that was behind the dump gave Christian a $100,000 campaign contribution. The Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations in the State of Texas. Despite the misleading name, theRailroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is the primary state agency responsible for regulating Texas oil and gas industry. During the course of the debate, local Republicans would ask the candidates incumbent Railroad Commission Chair Wayne Christian, a 71-year-old former state representative and Grammy-nominated gospel singer, and challenger 37-year-old oil and gas lawyer Sarah Stogner what the state has done to improve the states power grid after last years deadly winter storm, what they plan to do about the practice of burning off natural gas through flaring and how strictly the state should regulate the oil and gas industry. 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. Candidates for 2020 Texas Railroad Commissioner. Key fact: Applications must be . Well, heres my Grammy Award-winning video, Wayne.. Hunter Wayne Crow (G) 85,242 1%. (Christian did not respond to KUTs request for an interview.). Texas Election Information. Religion is something he brings up often on the stump. The Democrat has a background working in energy consulting and policy. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat who narrowly beat a Republican challenger in 2020, has easily avoided a runoff in the 34th, the neighboring Rio Grande Valley district in which hes now running after the lines were redrawn earlier this year. I have followed and continue to abide by all Texas Ethics Commission rules regarding when I can accept contributions and have in full transparency reported every contribution I have received. But I am, and have I got your attention now? This is the first statewide election in Texas that allows voters to fix issues with their absentee ballots, a process known as curing. But deadlines for fixing ballots vary based on the reasons and method of rejecting a ballot, which has caused some confusion among Texas voters. Christian: I have never allowed a political contribution to influence my decisions in elected office. Tipton has won the support of the editorial boards of most of the states major papers, including the Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. Todays primary marks the first statewide test of the new voting law, which has already led to a significant surge in rejections of absentee ballots because of new identification requirements. Targeting transgender people to rally conservatives is a Texas tradition since a 2015 bathroom bill in Houston. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Sign Up for Daily News & Breaking News Newsletters, Sign up for Digging Deep: Inside KXAN Investigates newsletter. The top two candidates in races where no one reaches that threshold will meet in runoff contests on May 24. . I have other assets.. I want to talk about groundwater. It has allowed me to engage folks who appreciated my passion and concerns.. A lifelong conservative businessman, Wayne Christian was elected as our 50thTexas Railroad Commissioner in November 2016. Nashvilles Best Hotel Selection, Copyright 2019-2022 TXElection.com | Eatmon Media. Christian said the U.S. produces oil in a cleaner and more environmentally conscious way than the worlds other large energy producers such as China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. She hammered Christian and his fellow commissioners for failing to ensure that the states natural gas pipelines didnt fail during the extended subfreezing weather. But taking out Gov. Cheers broke out for the first time at Jessica Cisneros watch party, as the large screens flashed results showing her with her just above 50 percent in the 28th Congressional District. Email: Wayne@ChristianForTexas.com Phone: (936) 598-8183 204 Houston St. Center, Texas 75935 Pol. Zapata flipped to Donald Trump in 2020. 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. v. t. e. The 2022 Florida Chief Financial Officer election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Chief Financial Officer of Florida. Im finding that there are these offices that wield tremendous power when it comes to the climate, she said with a little chuckle, like the Railroad Commission.. When he ran for the Senate four years ago, Democrat Beto ORourke won just 61 percent in the primary. And I thought, oh my God, yes, what if I got naked or almost naked on top of it? Stogner said. Updated: 7:36 AM CST February 16, 2022 TEXAS, USA A candidate for the Texas Railroad Commission is facing backlash for a campaign video showing the Republican wearing pasties atop an. 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. The 2022 Texas elections were held on November 8, 2022. And, if all thats not enough to draw your interest, the race has taken three unexpected turns during the past couple of weeksinvolving death, alleged corruption, and barely covered breasts. I disagree that were for all. The two main contenders in this year's race for commissioner are incumbent Republican Wayne Christian and Democrat Luke Warford. Here's your 2022 midterm election guide for South Texas. Christian, who is seeking a second term, said he believes his experience and perspective will still benefit the state and wants to make sure Texans have access to cheap, plentiful and reliable energy.. The Exit: Teachers Leave. Christian was asked to explain what hes done in his six years on the Railroad Commission to change the agencys name. But me scantily clad is where the line is drawn, she wrote on Facebook. Published: Feb. 16, 2022 at 9:12 PM PST ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - Railroad Commissioner is one of Texas' most important elected offices. Texas Lege Watch: A House Republican Fights for Chicken Freedom, Inside the Karaoke Bar Where Texas Lawmakers Serenade Each Other. Candidates for federal office must file a federal application . There are still a lot of votes out in rural counties, where Donald Trump performed well in 2020, but it's also worth noting that Senator Bernie Sanders did well in those counties during the Democratic presidential primary. Garza and Jaworski will move to a runoff. The Railroad Commission of Texas (Commission) is the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal and uranium surface mining operations. Im tired of people telling me things are impossible, she said. I want to talk about flaring. The filing deadline is now past, and eight Republicans, three Democrats and a Libertarian have said they will run for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission to replace David Porter, who unexpectedly decided not to run for re-election. During his time in the House, Christian was a leader for the conservative renaissance in the State of Texas and successfully assisted in the fight to elect a Republican majority in the Texas Legislature. This year is different. Jessica Cisneros has dipped below 50 percent, with rural Starr and Zapata Counties still not reporting. Feb. 18 Last day to apply for a ballot by mail for the primaries. Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, another candidate, oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner, posted a short video on TikTok and Twitter to implore Texans to please vote early. In the video, she rides a pump jack while wearing only a hat, underwear, and pasties. Texas Governor Race; Texas Lieutenant Governor Race 2022; Texas Attorney General Race 2022; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; Are we angry that I looked good on a pumpjack?. I have no personal financial ties to the oil and gas industry.. https://twitter.com/Sarah4RRC/status/1493041677266829315?v. I understand that submitting my email address allows iSideWith.com to send me important notifications via email. ( NewsNation) Railroad workers have been sounding the alarm for years over railway safety concerns, and a string of recent train derailments have brought these issues into the spotlight. Christian: I believe Texans should elect me again because Im willing to fight. And we basically have the commission saying, hey, just trust us.'. Recently, Christians campaign said it would finally drop the slogan after being called bigoted by Warford, who is Jewish. While it no longer helps set global oil prices, as it did in the forties and fifties, the Railroad Commission still oversees fossil-fuel production and pipelines. Texas Statewide Candidates 2022. 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. Hes a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer. Christian is a former gospel singer turned financial adviser turned longtime Texas politician. Earlier in the day, Greg Casar was praying for a 50-percent-plus-one win. 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.. Leave them blank to get signed up. By 8:30 p.m., it became clear that he was the Democratic nominee for the 35th Congressional District, all but ensuring a win in the general election. There is no office that is more corrupt than the Texas Railroad Commission, Warford says. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the March 1 election, the two candidates with the most votes will meet in a May runoff election. Texas Railroad Commissioner Primary Election Results Republican Primary Runoff Wayne Christian and Sarah Stogner have advanced to a runoff. Source: Election results and race calls from The Associated Press. By Carla Astudillo Published: Aug. 23, 2022 Updated: Sept. 27, 2022. And he thinks climate change is not real. Stogner said she is used to being objectified in the male-dominated industryI understand that when I walk into a room or a space, people dont assume that Im a lawyer or that Im competent on anything to do with oil and gas, she told the paper. EXCLUSIVE: Texas Railroad Commission candidate appearing nearly nude on pumpjack has 'no regrets' By Greg Groogan Published February 28, 2022 News FOX 26 Houston Railroad Commission candidate appears nearly nude on pump jack during campaign Now, Democrats are catching up, Undocumented Motherhood explores family separation, challenges in healthcare access, Democrats and Republicans in Collin County vie for open Texas House District 70 seat, Amazon Prime ups its music game, within limits, Texas Standard for Nov. 3, 2022: Churches arent supposed to endorse candidates but some big Texas churches are, Early voting is underway in Texas: Heres how to vote in the 2022 midterm election, In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp, As Texas STAAR test goes fully online, teachers feel defeated, Texas Education Agency projects confidence. Despite the agencys power over Texas largest industry including the natural gas system, a crucial element of the Texas power grid that failed last year during a powerful winter storm, leaving millions of people without power for days elections for the three-member board that oversees it typically dont generate much attention from voters. Governor Greg Abbott Early voting lasts from Monday through Feb. 25, and election day is March 1. And right now, Texas oil and gas has a reputation as not being particularly clean, because the Texas Railroad Commission doesnt enforce the rules, doesnt hold that actors accountable.. Summers name will still be on the ballot, too, because he died too close to election day to change the ballots. Umm, its tough, Hommel said. Another candidate, Marvin Sarge Summers, died earlier this month on the campaign trail after crashing into a tanker truck in Midland. Take the political quiz to see which Railroad Commissioner candidates match your politicalbeliefs. Like the other challengers, Stogner has criticized Christian for his lack of experience in the industries the Railroad Commission oversees. 2021 Texas Standard. A GOP primary that saw one candidate die in a campaign-related car accident, a second pose nearly nude on top of a pump jack and a third get accused of corruption has taken yet another unexpected turn. Reporting by Lalena Fisher, J. David Goodman and Alicia Parlapiano; production by Amanda Cordero and Jessica White; editing by Wilson Andrews, Ben Koski and Kenan Davis. What are we angry about? She will also help bring landowners back into the conversation to ensure all stakeholders are represented and heard by the Commission. The chart below shows the historical percentage of voters who have pledged to vote for each candidate in the 2022 Texas Railroad Commissionerelection. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. In 1996, Christian was elected to the House of Representatives as the first Republican elected from Deep East Texas since Reconstruction after the Civil War. The San Antonio Express-News described the video as disgraceful and pulled its endorsement of Stogner. Bring on the Shiplap. Multiple candidates are presently running in the March 1, 2022 Republican Primary to be the next Railroad Commissioner of Texas. Christian: I am running for re-election because I feel my experience and perspective can still benefit Texans. To learn more about how election results work, read this article. Christian served as Vice-Chair of Regulated Industries and as a multi-term member of the Energy Resource Committee. Texans will choose between four candidates: Republican incumbent Wayne Christian, Democratic. Four years after rocketing to national fame with a strong but ultimately failed effort to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, Beto ORourke will be the Democratic nominee for Texas governor. Odessa Headlines does not endorse or support any candidate for elected office. This statement raises questions about what constitutes civil discourse in todays political landscape and whether such standards are applied equally to candidates. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Texas mom stabs her five children, killing three: cops, Texas ranch of late oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens sells after $80M price cut, Severe weather outbreak produces hurricane-force winds, tornadoes, Cops quit woke Austin in droves, plunging city into crisis: If youre conservative, its a hostile place. Greg Regan, the president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, said he has raised safety . Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner Sarah Stogner posted a video last week that is raising eyebrows as voters head to the polls. Why Does He Get to Make That Call? The New York Timess results team is a group of graphics editors, engineers and reporters who build and maintain software to publish election results in real-time as they are reported by results providers. Published: Feb. 18, 2022 at 6:25 AM PST MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The Permian Basin Association of Pipeliners held a panel for Republican candidates for Railroad Commissioner last night at. The issues that are at stake in the Texas Railroad Commission are so important to Texans, are so important to the future of our state. But today, with two-thirds of the Hidalgo vote in, Mr. ORourke was at 81 percent, suggesting he would do far better in the primary for governor than he did for Senate. But the catchphrase has struck many others as insensitive or anti-Semitic, a critique that came up in 2014 when Christian faced a primary opponent who was Jewish.