The Railroad Commission, regulator of the state's oil and gas industry, has faced growing challenges in recent years related to earthquakes and leaking wells.
Prominent Texas Republicans are already jockeying to replace Comptroller Glenn Hegar , whose nomination to lead the Texas A&M University System on Friday has led to the rare opening for a statewide office.
Christi Craddick, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, and Don Huffines, who served in the Texas Senate and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022, were quick to announce they will run for the job. In a statement announcing her campaign, Craddick said that the oil and gas industry generated record-breaking tax revenues for Texans during her tenure. She has served on the Railroad Commission, which regulates the state's oil and gas industry, since 2012. It has faced growing challenges in recent years as the commission contends with the increasingly costly problem of leaking wells and earthquakes linked to the industry. RELATED: The Railroad Commission said to stop. This company did not listen. A Midland native, Craddick started her career as an oil and gas attorney. She is a vocal critic of progressive policies she says undermine the oil and gas industry, threaten jobs and jeopardize national security. “Throughout my tenure at the commission, we have managed our work with efficiency, transparency, and common sense, reflecting the bedrock principles the Texas economy has been built upon, and our commitment to the principles of a free market have helped our economy thrive,' Craddick said Friday in a news release. 'At the heart of all good government, good business and fiscal responsibility is one simple fact: Don’t spend money you don’t have.” Craddick was re-elected to a six-year term in November. Gov. Greg Abbott appoints a replacement in the event of a vacancy. In his own announcement, Huffines promised to “DOGE Texas by exposing waste, fraud, and abuse in government.” in 2022, Huffines ran to the right of Abbott and promised to abolish property taxes. He represented a Dallas district in the Texas Senate for one four-year term before he was defeated by Democrat Nathan Johnson in 2018. READ MORE: Texas has a political logjam. It's stopping ambitious Republicans from moving up. Hegar has been in the role of the state’s chief financial officer since 2015. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents selected him on Friday as the sole finalist to be its next chancellor. If officially confirmed, Hegar will take over on July 1. The election for comptroller will be in 2026. In the meantime, Abbott can appoint a replacement to the job who would need two-thirds approval by the Senate. Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a potential pick. The comptroller is tasked with giving regular assessments of the state of the Texas economy to the Legislature and the public. In Hegar's most recent report in January, he announced a nearly $24 billion surplus. His most prominent role in recent years has been enforcing a state law that bars Texas agencies from doing business with companies that 'boycott' oil and gas companies. Few Texas statewide elected officials have vacated their seats in the last decade. The last was Republican George P. Bush, who didn’t seek reelection as commissioner of the General Land Office in 2022. Benjamin Wermund and Taylor Goldenstein contributed reporting.
Texas A&Amp A&M Texas Comptroller M University System Board Of Regents Christi Craddick Glenn Hegar Texas Midland
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