Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick jumped straight into two of Texas Republicans' biggest runoff fights on Tuesday, publicly endorsing state Sen. Mayes Middleton for attorney general and incumbent Jim Wright for the Railroad Commission. With just three weeks until the May 26 GOP runoffs, the state's second-highest-ranking Republican is signaling where he wants conservatives to land in contests that shape both courtroom strategy and energy policy, while highlighting the rift between party traditionalists and culture-war firebrands.
In separate posts on X, Patrick praised Middleton's conservative record and argued that Wright has the experience to steer the agency that oversees oil and gas, according to Click2Houston. His endorsements drop into two races already awash in money, attack ads and internal GOP drama.
Poll Shows Middleton Ahead
A new Hobby School poll at the University of Houston gives Middleton a nine-point lead over U.S. Rep. Chip Roy among likely Republican runoff voters and shows Jim Wright ahead of Bo French by seven points, although a sizable chunk of voters still has not picked a side, according to the Hobby School of Public Affairs. Middleton previously finished first in the March 3 primary, setting up the May 26 runoff, as reported by The Dallas Morning News. Put together, the numbers suggest a low-turnout runoff where late endorsements and last-minute spending could decide who actually makes it across the finish line.
French's Rhetoric Draws Rebuke
Bo French, a former Tarrant County GOP chair, has pitched his Railroad Commission campaign squarely into the culture wars, warning about what he calls an "Islamification" of Texas and railing against DEI programs. His social media posts triggered backlash from party leaders and civil-rights groups, according to E&E News. Last summer, Patrick publicly urged French to step down from his county post after a series of inflammatory online polls and comments.
Wright has pushed back on French's focus on religion, arguing that the Railroad Commission "has no authority to make any policy that would affect this issue" and urging voters to judge the race on oil and gas regulation rather than cultural grievances, according to reporting by Click2Houston.
What's At Stake And Next Steps
The Railroad Commission oversees oil, gas, pipelines and mining in Texas, which means its three members have outsized influence on a big slice of U.S. energy production and the permits that keep it humming. With early voting for the May 26 runoff scheduled for May 18-22 and Election Day locked in for May 26, endorsements and late ad blitzes are poised to play an outsized role as campaigns scramble to move undecided Republican voters, according to the Texas Secretary of State election calendar. Expect both camps to ratchet up field operations and spending over the next few weeks as they try to game out who will actually show up.
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