Jon E. Rosenthal, a Democratic state representative and mechanical engineer, is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Rosenthal, who has represented Texas House District 135 since 2019, said the commission should serve the people of Texas, not big-money interests or partisan political bosses.
In a questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News, Rosenthal said he brings more than 25 years of oil and gas field experience along with four terms in the Texas Legislature. He called himself "the only candidate in this race with real oil & gas industry field experience."
Candidate information
Party: Democrat
Born: 1963
Residence: Northwest Houston (since 2007); in Texas since 1979
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 Aminta; two adult children, Janet and Bryan
Endorsements (partial list): AFL-CIO; Texas State Teachers Association; Texas AFT; Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation; Dallas AFL-CIO Council; San Antonio AFL-CIO Council; Harris County Democratic Party; 314 Action; TEXPAC
Experience and public service
Rosenthal has served as state representative for House District 135 since 2019. 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 nonpartisan Legislative Study Group, according to his Texas House biography.
He is one of only three practicing engineers in the Texas House and the only mechanical engineer in the body, according to the same biography.
Before entering public office, Rosenthal worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 25 years. His engineering career spanned multiple sectors. His roles included principal engineer at OneSubsea (2009–2014), engineering manager and senior engineer at Oceaneering (2005–2008), project manager at National Oilwell Varco (2001–2005) and manager of engineering at RETSCO Limited (1996–2000).
On the issues
Railroad Commission 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 the resources to monitor and inspect oil and gas facilities and to plug orphan and zombie wells. He supports spreading liability for orphan and "zombie" wells among prior operators, increasing fines for repeat violators and raising wages to attract and retain agency staff.
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 that actually deter violations." He also called for publishing site-level compliance scorecards so communities can see which operators are prepared for extreme weather.
Campaign finance reform: Rosenthal said he favors banning industry donations to Railroad Commissioner campaigns. He also supports full transparency measures including publishing calendars, meetings and recusals, livestreaming enforcement hearings and providing plain-English summaries of decisions.
Consumer protection on energy costs: Rosenthal supports stricter prudence reviews before utilities recover extraordinary costs from customers and would block recovery of costs caused by negligence. He called for line-item explanations of riders and storm charges on bills in clear language.
Clean air and water: Rosenthal supports ending routine flaring and venting, permitting only true emergencies. He called for modern leak-detection requirements including optical gas imaging and continuous monitors, along with groundwater safeguards such as baseline water testing around high-risk operations.
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
