Only Democrat bidding for railroad commission Jeff Weems post visits
El Paso Times—January 12th, 2010
Jeff Weems, the lone Democrat running for Texas Railroad Commission, spent Monday in El Paso, laying the foundation for a statewide general election that is still 10 months away and will pit him against a Republican.
Weems, 51, is a Houston lawyer whose specialty is energy and the oil industry. The railroad commission’s main job is to regulate the energy, oil and gas industry in Texas.
Weems is running unopposed in the Democratic Party primary. Two candidates, including incumbent Victor Carrillo, are running in the Republican Party primary. The other candidate is David Porter from Giddings. The Republican winner will face Weems in November.
Even though no Democrat currently holds a statewide elected office, Weems said Texas is poised to elect one.
“The mood in Texas is changing rapidly,” Weems said. “I’ve visited 104 counties so far, and the people I’ve spoken to are not happy with the incumbents.”
Carrillo was elected to the three-member railroad commission in 2004. All of the commissioners are Republican, each serving a six-year term.
If elected, Weems said he will resign from his Houston law firm. Commissioners are paid $137,500 a year.
“As a commissioner you get to be a steward of Texas’ environment,” Weems said. “The drilling in Texas and all the pipelines are having an impact on the economy, that is something I want to help regulate.”
