Early voting in both the Democratic and Republican runoff races ends Friday, May 22, with the election on Tuesday, May 26.
On the GOP side, the statewide runoffs are:
- U.S. Senate: John Cornyn and Ken Paxton
- Texas attorney general: Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy
- Texas Railroad Commission: Jim Wright and Bo French
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3: Alison Fox and Thomas Smith
The statewide Democratic runoffs are:
- Lieutenant governor: Vikki Goodwin and Marcos Vélez
- Attorney general: Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski
There are also runoff races for several House seats, the State Board of Education, and Texas Senate District 19, which runs along the U.S.-Mexico border. Voters who cast ballots in the March GOP primary can’t vote in the Democratic runoff races, and vice versa. Registered voters who did not participate in the March primary can vote in either party’s runoff election, but not both.
Texas oil industry at war with itself
The GOP runoff race for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission is pitting oil industry leaders against each other. Many small-scale oil companies are supporting former Tarrant County Republican Party chair Bo French because of incumbent Jim Wright’s efforts to lead reforms at the commission, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“I can’t support Jim Wright, because Jim Wright makes rules that are silly for lots and lots and lots of operators,” said Lance Thomas, manager of Albany-based Stasney Well Service. His company is suing the Railroad Commission over new rules about how oil operators manage onsite waste pits.
A political action committee associated with oil billionaire Tim Dunn, a conservative megadonor, has contributed at least $350,000 to French’s campaign. On the flip side, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and other major oil companies have contributed to PACs backing Wright.
French has drawn controversy for public comments he has made about Muslims and DEI.
Paxton steps up investigations as runoff nears
Attorney General Ken Paxton has steadily increased his lawsuits, investigations, and public threats around many of the conservative causes that energize Republicans, The Dallas Morning News reported. More than 100 news releases announcing such actions have been issued since early January.
Critics say he is using the attorney general’s office for political gain rather than enforcement. Supporters say Paxton is pursuing the issues Texas conservatives elected him to champion.
“He’s been suing the pants off people. I like that,” said Laura Oakley, president of the Grapevine Republican Club.
The topics since the March primary included immigration, Islam, China, visa fraud, election maps, birthright citizenship and foreign influence, according to The News report. A spokesman for Paxton’s campaign called the review of Paxton’s investigations “garbage” and not “worth printing.”
Lottery Commission, ex-director face criminal charges
Former Texas lottery director Gary Grief and the Texas Lottery Commission have been charged with misusing their positions in a 2023 Lotto Texas drawing worth $95 million, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The criminal charges assert the agency helped international gamblers engineer a guaranteed win.
Agency officials helped professional bettors purchase nearly every possible six-number combination — more than 25 million tickets — assuring they would win the $95 million jackpot, according to the charges. However, Grief’s attorney issued a statement saying, in part, “When all facts are revealed in court, the public will see that Gary’s leadership at the Lottery Commission generated millions of dollars for Texas schools and veterans and there was no crime.”
Grief and the commission are charged with abuse of official capacity, a broadly worded offense alleging “intent to harm or defraud another” by misusing “government property, services, personnel or any other thing of value belonging to the government,” the Statesman reported.
Texas’ migrant deportation law likely to be blocked
A new law allowing state officials to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants took effect last week, but it appears likely a federal judge will soon move to block it, according to the Houston Chronicle. U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra has previously called the law “patently unconstitutional,” but delayed making a ruling.
Senate Bill 4 has been stymied since its passage by legal challenges arguing that immigration enforcement is under the purview of the federal government, not state governments.
“Gov. Abbott is the sovereign governor of the state of Texas. He is not the president of the United States,” Ezra said. “DPS officers are not ICE agents.”
The GOP majority in the Texas Legislature passed the law during an immigration surge during the Biden administration. That surge has since receded, and few GOP lawmakers have been pushing for the law to be implemented, according to the Chronicle.
Grimes County residents question proposed chip facility
Elon Musk’s bid to build what he calls the world’s largest computer chip manufacturing facility in Grimes County, southeast of College Station, is drawing opposition from some residents, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Musk is seeking tax breaks to build the facility, dubbed Terafab.
Supporters say the initial $55 billion investment would later double in subsequent phases, which is too good to pass up. Opponents question the track record of Musk’s businesses, such as SpaceX, and whether the huge company needs tax breaks.
“I believe it would be immoral to give this company tax abatement when we have serious concerns about health issues and safety issues,” county resident Jacqueline Ross told Grimes County commissioners.
SpaceX was fined nearly $150,000 in 2024 for breaking clean water laws after a fuel spill at its South Texas launch site. It also was cited for illegally discharging wastewater into wetlands near its Boca Chica facilities.
The company is seeking a $1.75 trillion valuation when it goes public in a few months, prompting some residents to question why it needs a tax break.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
