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Historically, the Texas Railroad Commission has been an obscure agency in Austin that the public knows little about.

Now, amid a contest for a high-ranking role on the agency’s three-panel board of commissioners, it has become a battleground for wealthy political donors.

Billionaires, big oil companies and trade groups have poured a tremendous amount of wealth into the two primary campaigns for incumbent Jim Wright and his runoff opponent, Bo French, according to the latest round of campaign finance reports.

Since Feb. 22, campaign contributions soared to more than $3.4 million between the two, a large but not unusual amount for races involving the commission. The latest round of financial reports, however, shows a striking proxy battle between conservative megadonors in Texas, the state’s oil and gas industry and prominent national figures.

“For the most part, it is a low-profile office,” said Nancy Sims, a political scientist at the University of Houston. “It’s not been that competitive for the last 30 years. But in this case, there is an element of concern about having a commissioner who has issues far beyond the oil industry that they want to focus on.”

The winner of the Republican primary runoff election will determine who faces Democrat Jon Rosenthal in November. No Democrat has won statewide in Republican-dominant Texas in decades, so the outcome of this month’s election will likely determine who presides over the regulatory agency overseeing the Texas oil and gas industry, which generates billions for the state and whose decisions can shake markets and upend local economies. For years, it scarcely drew interest — let alone fanfare. This election has become a hotly contested and remarkably expensive endeavor.

Neither Wright nor French responded to requests for comment.

The race has drawn the unusual attention of national political megadonors, including casino magnate Miriam Adelson and real estate giant Harlan Crow, billionaires who have used their wealth to sway high-profile elections and offices across the country. Texas Sands PAC, a group financed by Adelson, spent $500,000 on Wright, his largest political donation yet. Crow gave $10,000.

In all, Wright raised nearly $2 million, the majority of which he’s already spent. As of Tuesday, Wright had about $58,000 in the bank.

On social media, Wright said Adelson’s donation served as a message to French’s “anti-Semitic rhetoric.” Texas Republicans have condemned French in the past over comments about Jewish people.

“My support from Miriam Adelson underscores Bo French’s hateful attacks on the Jewish people and his repeated anti-Semitic rhetoric,” Wright wrote on Facebook. “Dr. Adelson and I stand firmly with the state of Israel, and I join conservative leaders across Texas in condemning his ignorant bigotry.”

Wright also has the backing of big oil companies and trade associations. The Texas Oil and Gas Association’s Good Government Committee, the trade group’s electoral operation, has given Wright about $100,000 in total. Exxon Mobil’s political arm has contributed more than $20,000. Several of the company’s executives have also donated tens of thousands of dollars.

In a statement on Tuesday, the association’s good government committee lauded Wright for making Texas a leading producer of oil and gas, saying he has “earned the support of many Texans who recognize all Texans can prosper from Wright’s leadership that has helped usher in American Energy Dominance.”

“Some of the policies that Bo French has touted on his campaign reference Republican Party lines on Islam, conservative talking points, and so I think that makes (the industry) uncomfortable,” Sims, the politics lecturer, said, explaining the rush of donations from the oil and gas industry. “Their businesses are all over the world, so they’re more sensitive to attacks.”

Prominent Republicans in Texas, including Gov. Greg Abbott, have urged voters to back Wright. On X, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have issued their own endorsements.

But Wright is not the only candidate to have piqued the interest of the wealthy and politically connected. French’s $2 million campaign is predominantly bankrolled by Texas oil magnates and conservative megadonors Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who have now spent roughly $1 million to balloon his fundraising, TV ads and a widely circulated conservative newsletter. On Tuesday, French had about $79,000 left to spend.

French has been endorsed by a slew of political groups, regional and national. Among his endorsements is Turning Point USA, which advances the conservative movement through chapters across the country.

The candidates have taken disparate approaches to campaigning. Wright has regularly appeared as a guest on podcasts about the oil and gas industry. His comments draw little public attention or controversy. French, by contrast, uses social media as a tool of engagement and reach. Posting about immigration, transgender issues and the left-wing flank of the Democratic Party, French has aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump.

Experts said the two will need every dollar, as only the most partisan voters are expected to turn out at the polls.

“The issue with the runoff is that turnout drops dramatically,” said Andrew Cates, an Austin-based attorney and campaign finance expert. “Every vote is, at that point, more expensive.”

Texas Tribune reporter Dan Keemahill contributed to this article.

Carlos Nogueras Ramos is a regional reporter based in Odessa. Carlos joined The Texas Tribune in 2023 as a corps member with Report for America. Carlos tells the stories of Texas from the vast energy-rich...