Hawk Dunlap

Railroad Commissioner · Republican Primary 2026

Republican

About ✓ Verified

Oil well control firefighter and industry expert focused on innovative solutions to abandoned wells and produced water management, running on technical expertise despite limited resources.

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Address orphaned/abandoned wells as top priority with shared-cost model where all companies that ever operated a well share plugging costs
10-cent-per-barrel tariff on commercially injected oilfield wastewater (~$21M/week for well-plugging)
Require $60,000 plugging bonds per well from producers
Rename agency to 'Texas Energy Commission' to reflect actual mission
Deploy AI to project plugging costs and prioritize high-risk wells near schools and homes
Recycle produced water instead of underground injection disposal
Revamp statewide produced water injection policies to reduce volume overall
Tax commercially injected produced water and expand recycling uses including cooling data centers

Strengths Sourced

35 years oil industry experience
Strong newspaper endorsements
Focus on abandoned well problems
Grassroots landowner support

Concerns Sourced

Limited fundraising at $33,000
Previously ran as Libertarian
Low polling at 4%
Outside establishment support

Endorsements ✓ Verified

Brian Sprague (public figure)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (editorial board)

Polling ✓ Verified

4% in University of Houston poll from January 20-31, 2026

Fundraising ✓ Verified

$33,000 raised from landowners affected by abandoned wells, with support from oil attorney Sarah Stogner

Sources (20)

Top candidates in the 2026 Texas Railroad Commission primary (2026-02-24)
In a contest to regulate Texas's oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China (2026-02-24)
Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2026 - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
GOP fight for oil regulator post shifts to DEI, China (2026-02-24)
Texas Railroad Commission primary: Who is running and what to know | News From The States (2026-02-24)
Know your ballot: Railroad Commissioner | KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com (2026-02-24)
Q&A: Get to know the Republican primary candidates for Texas railroad commissioner | Community Impact (2026-02-24)
Texas Railroad Commission primary: Who is running and what to know (2026-02-24)
Chip Roy, Don Huffines, Sid Miller Lead GOP Primary Field in New Poll - Texas Scorecard (2026-02-24)
Chip Roy, Mayes Middleton leading Texas attorney general GOP primary in new poll – Houston Public Media (2026-02-24)
Who’s leading in Texas’ 2026 election? New poll offers clues | khou.com (2026-02-24)
James Wright (Texas Railroad Commission) - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
Jim Wright - Jim Wright (2026-02-24)
James Matlock (Texas Railroad Commission candidate) - Ballotpedia (2026-02-24)
FilingInfo Campaign Finance TEC Filers (2026-02-24)
Texas comptroller GOP primary draws donors with agency ties (2026-02-24)
Texas Railroad Commission primary: Candidates, backgrounds, and key issues (2026-02-24)
Michael Bloomberg gives $2.6 million to Democrat running for railroad commission (2026-02-24)
RRC Commissioners (2026-02-24)
Texas oil regulator sets new $9.2M fundraising record with energy industry support - OpenSecrets News (2026-02-24)

Data last verified: Mar 3, 2026 · 20 sources cited

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Data Confidence
✓ Verified backed by official sources (Ballotpedia, Vote Smart, .gov)
Sourced from web sources cited below
AI-inferred generated by AI from available information