News about Bo French

Democrat Jon Rosenthal, a four-term state representative and oil field engineer, is running against Bo French, a conservative whose racially charged remarks have drawn national attention, for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas industry. If Rosenthal wins on Nov. 3, he would be the first Democrat elected to the commission since the 1990s, and he has pledged to pursue chronic polluters and expand oversight of natural gas facilities. French, who wants to deregulate the industry and let it produce more oil, has also pledged to cut regulations and DEI programs, though some experts warn that flooding the market could tank oil prices. Rosenthal's campaign has reportedly struggled to raise money compared with previous Democratic candidates, while French has not backed down despite criticism from his own party and the industry.

Republican Bo French (56) and Democrat Jon Rosenthal, a four-term state representative from Houston, are competing for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, the state's oil and gas regulator, in the Nov. 3 election. French's remarks about South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin pushed the race into the national spotlight, and if Rosenthal wins he would be the first Democrat elected to the commission since the 1990s. Rosenthal pledges to pursue chronic polluters and create a fee on underground storage of oil and gas wastewater, though his fundraising has lagged behind previous Democratic candidates. French vows to lower electricity and gas prices, cut regulations and DEI programs, and let industry produce more oil, and he has not backed down despite criticism from his own party and the industry. The commission oversees a budget of about half a billion dollars.