Despite the name, the Railroad Commission has had nothing to do with railroads since 2005. It regulates Texas oil and gas wells, the pipelines inside the state, your natural gas utility, and coal and uranium mining.
The Democratic candidate
Jon Rosenthal
DemocratAbout Jon
Rosenthal spent 25 years as an engineer in the oil field — the industry the Railroad Commission is supposed to regulate — and in 2018 he unseated a 12-term Republican in northwest Houston while being outspent seven to one. His opponent was forced out as Tarrant County GOP chair over antisemitic posts.
UT mechanical engineer, subsea systems specialist, project manager — then, after the 2016 election, he started an Indivisible group in his neighborhood that hit hundreds of members in weeks, and ran. In four terms in the House he wrote the law requiring ERCOT to use modern forecasting after the 2021 grid collapse and became one of the House's go-to voices on the grid. The Tribune calls this race "culture warrior against engineer": Bo French campaigns on Islam, immigration and LGBTQ people; Rosenthal campaigns on knowing how a pipeline works.
Also on the ballot
Every candidate who filed for this office appears here. Tap a name to read more.
Bo FrenchAbout Bo
He was forced to resign as county GOP chair after posting antisemitic comments online. Six months later, he won a statewide Republican primary.
French grew up in Midland oil country — the son of a wildcatter — and spent a decade as an energy trader before going into ranching and security contracting. He beat incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright in the 2026 Republican runoff. The Railroad Commission regulates oil, gas, and pipelines in Texas.
Arthur DiBiancaAbout Arthur
A longtime Libertarian Party operations staffer from Austin who has run for office repeatedly since 2012, now seeking a seat on the Railroad Commission.
DiBianca lives in Austin and has worked as a staff assistant for the Libertarian National Committee since 2009 and as treasurer of the Travis County Libertarian Party since 2004, alongside serving as an operations/data manager for the Libertarian Party of Texas. He's previously run for the Texas House (2012), Texas Senate District 21 (2022), and U.S. House seats (2020, 2024). He's now the Libertarian nominee for Railroad Commissioner, facing Republican Bo French and Democrat Jon Rosenthal.
Where to vote
Hays County uses vote centers — any registered Hays County voter can vote at any open location in the county. Locations and hours by city: