HARLINGEN, Texas — Addressing a crowd of Rio Grande Valley Democrats in Harlingen, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal pitch-pitched his campaign for the Texas Railroad Commission as a choice between practical expertise and divisive rhetoric.
Speaking at the Northern Cameron County Democrats’ “Meet the Candidates Forum” at the La Sierra Event Center on September 26, the Houston Democrat argued that the powerful state agency—which regulates the state’s massive oil and gas industry rather than rail transportation—requires technical leadership to tackle environmental and public safety challenges.
“It turns out, it's a good idea to have a subject matter expert on this,” Rosenthal told the audience. “Oil and gas is a massive economic engine for our state. It's also the centerpiece of our energy infrastructure... but we have to be responsible, responsive to communities, and good stewards of the environment.”
Rosenthal, a mechanical engineer who spent 25 years working in the oil and gas industry on drilling rigs, production platforms, and pipelines, emphasized his industry background as a key qualification for the statewide seat.
During his remarks, Rosenthal highlighted the issue of abandoned oil and gas wells across Texas, often referred to as "orphan" or "zombie" wells, which can leak hazardous materials into the surrounding land, water, and air.
He noted that while the agency operates on a half-billion-dollar biennial budget and employs around 1,000 full-time workers, about half of its resources are spent attempting to plug abandoned wells—and the agency continues to fall behind as new abandoned sites emerge.
Rosenthal promised that, if elected, he would actively lobby the Texas Legislature for increased funding and resources to help staff keep up with environmental remediation and regulatory enforcement.
“This is not the fault of the 1,000 hardworking people who are there. They just don't have enough resources to do the work,” Rosenthal said, promising to advocate aggressively in Austin for expanded agency funding.
The Democratic nominee took direct aim at his political opponent, Conservative activist Bo French, criticizing French’s past controversial social media posts and focus on culture-war topics over regulatory policy.
Rosenthal referenced recent fundraising momentum following public backlash over comments made by his opponent, noting his campaign raised $250,000 in eight days. He argued that the Railroad Commission is fundamentally a technical agency focused on public health, safety, and environmental stewardship, rather than ideological battles.
“This is not a culture war issue. It's like, protect the dang environment, make sure communities are safe,” Rosenthal said. “Let's have government just go back to doing the work it's supposed to do and be boring again.”
Rosenthal pointed to recent internal polling showing a tight contest among likely voters, expressing confidence in his path to victory. He also announced to the Harlingen audience that his opponent had recently agreed to an in-person debate.
“This is a chance to change the direction of politics in this state,” Rosenthal said in closing. “And if we do it here, it will spread to the whole country.”
