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Stogner stated. Simply for our own enjoyable. Fuck it, this will be fun.”
In February, the video developed into a now-viral campaign advertisement for the 37-year-old oil and gas lawyer from Monahans, who is running for a seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas, the regulatory agency in charge of the states massive oil and gas sector. Stogner released the five-second video on Super Bowl Sunday in a tweet with the caption: “They stated I required money. I have other assets.”
” I need to get peoples attention, right?” Stogner stated in an interview, including that she didnt wish to do that in a “pornographic” method.
” And here we are, its working,” she stated, listing numerous news stories about her project since the video went public.
Stogners seminude stunt is just the current twist in what has become the strangest Republican primary project for Railroad Commission in years. The incumbent, Railroad Commission Chair Wayne Christian, is facing corruption accusations after he voted– against the suggestion of Railroad Commission staff– to authorize a license for an oil field waste dump facility, then days later accepted a $100,000 project contribution from the business that received the permit.
Another prospect, Marvin “Sarge” Summers, died previously this month on the campaign path after crashing into a tanker truck in Midland.
Despite the firms power over Texas largest industry– consisting of the natural gas system, an important element of the Texas power grid that failed last year throughout an effective winter storm, leaving countless individuals without power for days– elections for the three-member board that manages it typically dont produce much attention from citizens.
” They may understand about it now because of Sarah Stogner,” stated Tom Slocum Jr., a 38-year-old engineering specialist from the Houston area who is one of the 4 surviving prospects in the Republican primary.
Christian, a 71-year-old Grammy-nominated former gospel vocalist and monetary coordinator who is seeking his 2nd six-year term, is trying to fend off challenges from Slocum, Stogner and Dawayne Tipton, a former oil field roughneck who has actually worked numerous oil sector jobs consisting of offshore drilling.
Summertimes name will still be on the tally, too, due to the fact that he died too close to election day to alter the ballots. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the March 1 election, the 2 prospects with the most votes will meet in a May runoff election.
The race is wide open, according to a recent University of Houston study. Christian was the top choice of 9% of signed up citizens because poll, with the other prospects getting between 3% and 5%. The vast majority of those polled, 74%, stated they werent sure who they d vote for.
Slocum is hoping his support of conservative priorities– leading problems on his project site consist of developing the border wall and protecting gun ownership, concerns the Railroad Commission has no jurisdiction over– and his years of experience working in oil and gas operations and plugging abandoned oil wells will help propel him over the incumbent.
” I have real oil and gas experience in Texas, unlike Wayne,” Slocum said.
Tipton, 41, has likewise leaned on his oil and gas experience and is working on a platform of being a skilled and clear communicator to lead the Railroad Commission. He criticized Christians role in last Februarys fatal winter freeze, when power interruptions and equipment failures choked off much of the fuel to numerous of the states gas-fired power plants when they required it most to produce electrical power.
In order to keep the power grid from overall collapse, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas directed transmission business to cut off power to citizens, businesses and gas producing centers since they were not registered as crucial facilities– part of a cascade of power failures that caused hundreds of deaths.
” If the incumbent had actually been more proactive when the occasion was in fact taking place and reached out to ERCOT and urged them not to shed that vital load, which compounded our power generation problems, we would not have actually remained in nearly as bad of a scenario as we were,” Tipton stated.
Christian did not respond to criticism of the commissions handling of the grids collapse, however in an email he did rebut accusations from some of his opponents that accepting a big campaign donation from the company that got the oil waste dump allow amounted to a reward for his vote.
Christian stated he has “never ever enabled a political contribution to influence my choices in chosen workplace” and said the firms basic counsel encouraged him to authorize the authorization for the waste center “with the requirement that the business use a geosynthetic clay liner to secure the environment and remain consistent with other similar permits given by the Commission.”
” I am running a positive campaign based on my record,” Christian said in the email. “The publicity stunts and mudslinging suggest desperation. I am the only candidate with the recommendations, project facilities, and resources needed to win this race.”
Like the other oppositions, Stogner has criticized Christian for his lack of experience in the industries the Railroad Commission oversees.
” He has no oil and gas experience– he won on a pro-life platform since thats what primary voters appreciated in 2016,” Stogner said. “Hes a Grammy Award-winning gospel vocalist. Well, heres my Grammy Award-winning video, Wayne.”
Stogner, who is declining campaign contributions in her very first campaign for public workplace, stated she wishes to concentrate on helping the oil and gas industry make more development as responsible stewards of the states natural resources.
“We cant do this at the expense of safe air.”
Michael Williams, a railroad commissioner from 1999 to 2011 who went on to lead the Texas Education Agency, stated in an interview that while Christian is a buddy, “Im pleased with Stogner. I didnt even understand who she was up until I saw the ad.”
Former Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, who was upset in the 2020 Republican primary election after serving one term, said he believed Stogner was clever and had the technical and legal knowledge needed for the task, but her video “probably dismissed any genuine shot she had at winning the race.”
Stogner stated. Stogner released the five-second video on Super Bowl Sunday in a tweet with the caption: “They said I required money. The huge bulk of those surveyed, 74%, stated they werent sure who they d vote for.
” I am running a favorable campaign based on my record,” Christian said in the e-mail.” He has no oil and gas experience– he won on a pro-life platform because thats what main voters cared about in 2016,” Stogner said.
