Jon E. Rosenthal, a Democratic state representative and mechanical engineer, is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner in the Nov. 3 general election. The Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas operations statewide, including permitting, pipeline safety and natural gas utilities that serve Northeast Tarrant County. Rosenthal represents House District 135 and has served in the Texas Legislature since 2019.
"I'm running because the Railroad Commission of Texas should serve the PEOPLE of Texas—not big-money interests or partisan political bosses," Rosenthal wrote in a candidate questionnaire.
He said his 25-plus years of oil and gas field experience, combined with four terms in the Legislature, uniquely position him for the role.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Texas Railroad Commissioner
- Current office: State Representative, Texas House District 135 (since 2019)
- Education: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1991); Graduate Certificate in Subsea Engineering, University of Houston (2016)
- Family: Married to wife Aminta for nearly 20 years; two adult children, Janet and Bryan
- Residence: Northwest Houston (since 2007)
- In Texas since: 1979
Experience and public service
Rosenthal has worked as a rig equipment engineer, project manager, engineering manager and senior subsea systems engineer across the oil and gas industry, according to his questionnaire responses. His employers have included National Oilwell Varco, Oceaneering and OneSubsea.
In the Legislature, he served on the Energy Resources and Intergovernmental Affairs committees and as vice chair of the Redistricting Committee. During the 86th Legislative session, he received the Freshman of the Year award from the Legislative Study Group, according to his official Texas House biography.
He is the only mechanical engineer in the Texas House.
On the issues
Agency funding and orphan wells: Rosenthal said his first priority is advocating for a significant funding increase for the Railroad Commission, which he called "dramatically underfunded." He said the agency lacks resources to monitor and inspect oil and gas facilities and plug orphan and abandoned wells. He supports spreading liability for orphan and "zombie" wells among prior operators, increasing fines for repeat violators and ramping up plugging efforts.
Weatherization and grid reliability: Rosenthal said the 2021 Winter Storm Uri grid failure was largely driven by failed natural gas delivery. He supports weatherization requirements for critical gas production, processing and pipelines with deadlines, third-party audits and fines. He also backs publishing site-level compliance scorecards so communities can see which operators are prepared for extreme weather.
Utility costs and consumer protection: Rosenthal supports stricter reviews before utilities recover extraordinary costs from customers. He would block utilities from recovering costs tied to preventable failures. He backs line-item billing transparency and hedging and storage standards to smooth volatile prices.
Government reform and transparency: Rosenthal said he favors banning industry donations to Railroad Commissioner campaigns. He supports publishing calendars, meetings and recusals, livestreaming enforcement hearings and restoring public comment to regular open meetings.
Clean air and water: Rosenthal supports ending routine flaring and venting except for true emergencies, with continuous monitoring and penalties. He backs modern leak-detection requirements and groundwater safeguards including baseline water testing around high-risk operations.
Endorsements
Rosenthal has received endorsements from the AFL-CIO, the Texas State Teachers Association, Texas AFT, the Dallas AFL-CIO Council, 314 Action and several regional labor councils across Texas, according to BallotReady.
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
