Conservative icon Wayne Christian fended off three other candidates to win an open seat on the three-member Texas Railroad Commission.
The commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, making its actions critical to the state’s economy.
A former member of the Texas House, Christian was a vocal opponent of the Democrat-Republican coalition in Austin that has kept House Speaker Joe Straus in office. In 2011, Straus’ cronies drew district boundaries specifically to punish Christian and force him from office.
In his run for statewide office, Christian was wildly out-spent in the primary by a Houston businessman cozy with the Austin crony cartel but won thanks to his ties to the grassroots with a staunchly conservative record.
Christian kept his general election campaign focused on protecting Texas from federal regulations hostile to the oil and gas industry.
