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At The Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, Sarah Stogner declared her candidacy for the Texas Railroad Commission, marking her second campaign. However, this time she revealed a significant change by departing from the Republican Party and opting to run as a third-party candidate.
Stogner, a 39-year-old oil and gas attorney, made headlines in 2022 with a campaign announcement video that featured her semi-nude on top of an oil pumpjack. Her underdog campaign picked up enough momentum — and a $2 million donation from a West Texas rancher — to propel Stogner into a Republican runoff with incumbent Wayne Christian.
Christian, who Stogner accused of corruption during the campaign, won that race with 65% of the vote. In the general election, Stogner endorsed Democratic nominee Luke Warford, who Christian defeated with more than 55% of the vote.
On Saturday Stogner said she plans to run under the banner of the Forward Party, a centrist political party co-founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Stogner is the first announced statewide candidate aligned with the party.
According to Stogner, her decision to join the Forward Party was influenced by the corruption present within the Texas GOP.
Stogner expressed his disappointment with the response he received after sharing his views on social media regarding the acquittal of Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General. He highlighted the fact that some individuals assumed he must be a Democrat for calling out corruption. Stogner found this perception disheartening as it contradicts the notion that conservatism and corruption are unrelated.
New political parties need a certain number of qualified voters’ signatures to qualify for inclusion on a Texas ballot. If she makes the ballot, Stogner will challenge current Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick next fall. Members of the three-person commission serve staggered, six-year terms, the longest term of any statewide elected position.
Established in 1891, the Railroad Commission is the state’s oldest regulatory agency and employs more than 800 people. The commission regulates oil and gas drilling permits, surface mining, natural gas utilities and oil and gas pipelines — as well as ensuring companies abide by state and federal policy on safety and pollution.
However, Stogner said the Commission is falling short of these goals, and accused her opponent of having a conflict of interest. Craddick and her family have financial ties to the oil and gas industry, owning land that has generated revenue from natural gas.
Stogner stated that the commission’s sole objective is to ensure the safety of Texans by regulating energy. However, Commissioner Christi Craddick, who is in charge of overseeing it, is simultaneously benefitting from oil deals. She is essentially receiving money from the very individuals she is supposed to regulate.
Stogner, a resident of the bustling oil and gas hub of the Permian Basin, highlighted her non-political background and extensive legal expertise in the industry. She firmly stated that if elected, her focus would be on upholding fairness, affordability, and effectiveness in existing regulations, rather than introducing new ones.
On a daily basis, Stogner pointed out the ongoing struggles her community in Crane County faces, including contaminated groundwater and inadequate air quality.
Stogner expressed concerns about the safety of tap water across the state, questioning whether people can trust the quality of the water they consume. He further emphasized the dilemma of elected officials being influenced by the very entities they are responsible for governing and monitoring.
As The Texas Tribune’s signature event of the year, The Texas Tribune Festival brings Texans closer to politics, policy and the day’s news from Texas and beyond. Browse on-demand recordings and catch up on the biggest headlines from Festival events at the Tribune’s Festival news page.
