AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Former state lawmaker Wayne Christian has won the Republican nomination for a surprise opening on the Texas Railroad Commission, which is dealing with uncertainty following the oil bust.
Christian’s runoff victory Tuesday over real estate mogul Gary Gates makes him the immediate favorite to win in November and replace outgoing Commissioner David Porter. That’s because no Texas Democrat has won a statewide election since 1994.
Democrat Grady Yarbrough will face Christian after winning his own runoff Tuesday.
Porter didn’t announce until December that he wouldn’t seek re-election to the three-member commission. That set off a scramble at a pivotal time for the agency that regulates the oil and gas industry.
Dozens of oil producers have gone bankrupt and commissioners have already told lawmakers they’ll ask for more funding in 2017.
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