Democrat Jon Rosenthal outraises Bo French in Railroad Commission race in latest report

By Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune
October 6, 2026

Donors from every state but North Dakota gave money to Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal’s campaign for Texas Railroad Commissioner, sending roughly $488,000 in contributions to his campaign after his opponent, Bo French, went viral for a racist post on X.

It is the most fundraising Rosenthal, a two-decade oil field engineer and four-term state legislator, has raised since launching his campaign last November. Rosenthal was propelled into the national spotlight after his opponent’s incendiary comments, and he has bested French’s campaign, who, in the same filing period, raised $439,000.

Most of the cash came from thousands of small donors in Texas, which make up 60% of the latest campaign haul, records show. Nearly $90,000 came from the Lone Star Project, a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee that said on its website it exists solely to elect “responsible Democrats” and defeat “failed Republicans.”

Rosenthal also attracted the attention of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat billionaire and longtime adversary of President Donald Trump. He gave Rosenthal $25,000.

Topping French’s donations is Texans United for a Conservative Majority, a political action committee tied to oil businessman Tim Dunn, who gave French $100,000. Dunn, who regularly deploys his vast wealth to expand conservative causes and help elect candidates for office, has spent nearly $500,000 on in-kind expenditures and cash on French’s bid.

French also received donations from a handful of oil companies, including NGL PAC, which gave him $25,000 this filing period. Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian’s campaign gave $10,000.

Neither candidate, however, persuaded the state’s oil and gas industry, despite trying to appeal to it with friendly messaging. The Texas Oil and Gas Association Good Government Committee, which represents 90% of oil and gas production in Texas — and whose members have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates for Railroad Commissioner — did not contribute. Neither did ExxonMobil or Chevron’s political operations, which have a history of supporting past candidates as well. Throughout the election, the industry has been mostly mum.

French and Rosenthal are in a hotly contested election for a seat at the state’s powerful oil and gas commission, overseeing half of the nation’s oil supply. The industry contributes billions in taxes and employs hundreds of thousands of workers, according to the Texas Oil and Gas Association’s annual report.

The race has been mired in debates unrelated to the functions of the agency, as French dedicates his campaign to railing about culture wars and attacking his opponent for his progressive record. French has been scrutinized in the past, including by those in his party, for controversial online commentary. He has called to deport 100 million people, nearly a third of the country’s population. And he’s run polls asking whether Jews or Muslims are a bigger threat to America.

Rosenthal has attempted to court the industry, billing himself as a “drill, baby, drill” Democrat and saying the industry has made positive contributions to the state.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.