James "Jim" Matlock

Railroad Commissioner · Republican Primary 2026

Republican

About ✓ Verified

Marine veteran running grassroots campaign against oilfield waste and foreign influence, polling competitively despite minimal resources in anti-establishment climate.

Key Positions ✓ Verified

Reduce oilfield waste — 'Don't tell me there's an energy crisis when I am still seeing waste'
Recycle produced water for fracking operations and irrigation-quality agricultural water
Capture flare gas through permitting reforms
Address orphaned and abandoned wells lacking oversight
Block foreign threats to Texas energy — prevent Chinese entities and firms like BlackRock from controlling Texas oil and gas
Protect independent producers and mineral rights holders against large corporate interests
Opposition to Chinese purchase of American oil and acquisition of farmland
National security focus against Chinese influence

Strengths Sourced

Nearly tied with Wright at 20% polling
Anti-foreign influence platform
Veteran status appeals to voters
Grassroots campaign approach

Concerns Sourced

Minimal fundraising capacity
Limited campaign resources
Single-issue focus on China
Previously lost 2024 primary

Polling ✓ Verified

20% in University of Houston poll from January 20-31, 2026, virtually tied with incumbent Wright

Fundraising ✓ Verified

Minimal fundraising - running grassroots campaign without major donor support

Sources (20)

Chip Roy, Don Huffines, Sid Miller Lead GOP Primary Field in New Poll - Texas Scorecard (2026-02-24)
GOP fight for oil regulator post shifts to DEI, China (2026-02-24)
Texas Railroad Commissioner election, 2026 - Ballotpedia (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)
Top candidates in the 2026 Texas Railroad Commission primary (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, 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)
In a contest to regulate Texas’s oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China (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