West Texas lawyer Sarah Stogner launches Forward Party campaign for Railroad Commissioner

AUSTIN — Sarah Stogner is running for Texas Railroad Commissioner again. But this time, she's trying something a little different.

The former Republican candidate announced on Saturday her second campaign for the office in as many election cycles, this time under the banner of the newly launched Forward Party. She is the first Texas statewide candidate to announce a campaign for the new moderate party.

The Railroad Commission, governed by three commissioners, is responsible for regulating the oil and natural gas industries in the state, issuing drilling permits and enforcing state and federal law.

Stogner forced a runoff with incumbent Commissioner Wayne Christian in the 2022 Republican primary but lost the runoff by 30 percentage points. She later endorsed Christian's Democratic challenger Luke Warford, who lost the general election . She turned heads during her primary campaign with a social media video featuring the candidate topless atop a pumpjack.

Stogner is challenging Commissioner Christi Craddick and what she called the "Craddick Corruption" during her campaign announcement at the Texas Tribune Festival. She said the Railroad Commission is failing to responsibly regulate the oil and gas industry.

"The Railroad Commission's failure has real-life consequences. It's endangering our water supply. It's contaminating our air," Stogner said.

The 39-year-old Crane County oil and gas lawyer said Craddick's financial ties to the industry pose a conflict of interest.

"The commission has one mission: to regulate energy in a way that keeps Texans safe," Stogner said. "But Commissioner Christi Craddick is overseeing it while also profiting off of oil deals. She’s pocketing money from the very people she's supposed to be regulating."

The Forward Party candidate is not guaranteed a spot on the ballot next November; Texas candidates affiliated with new political parties must collect more than 80,000 valid petition signatures to qualify for statewide ballot access. Stogner said that shouldn't be an issue.

"Personally, I'm ready to take a pay cut and move to Austin. This job is too important," Stogner said. "It's time to get to work, because we are ready to do the real work of governance."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: West Texas lawyer Stogner launches second campaign for Railroad Commissioner