Craddick, Huffines enter Texas Comptroller’s race as Hegar heads to A&M
Current Texas Comptroller announced Friday as the sole finalist for the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System
Conservative Republicans Christi Craddick and Don Huffines announced their candidacies for Texas Comptroller on Friday after the state’s current comptroller, Glenn Hegar, was named sole finalist for chancellor of the Texas A&M System.
Craddick is the current chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas and Huffines is a former state senator who ran for governor in 2022.
WATCH HEREChristi Craddick
Craddick won her third six-year term on the three-member Railroad Commission of Texas last November. She was first elected to the state’s oldest regulatory agency in 2012 and won reelection in 2018 and 2024.
SIGN UP “Serving for more than a decade as Railroad Commissioner has uniquely prepared me to help Texas build upon its momentum as the economic engine of the United States,” Craddick said. “Throughout my tenure at the Commission, we have managed our work with efficiency, transparency, and common sense, reflecting the bedrock principles the Texas economy has been built upon, and our commitment to the principles of a free market has helped our economy thrive. At the heart of all good government, good business and fiscal responsibility is one simple fact: Don’t spend money you don’t have.”
Craddick of Midland said public service is in her blood and that her top priority would be ensuring the state remained strong.
“It has been a great honor to earn the trust of Texas voters over the years, having run statewide successfully three times. I look forward to building on that foundation to serve as the next Texas Comptroller.”
According to the agency’s website, the Railroad Commission of Texas “is the state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, and coal and uranium surface mining operations.”
Despite the name, the Railroad Commission of Texas has no jurisdiction or authority over railroads. The agency is the oldest regulatory agency in the state and was established in 1891 to “prevent discrimination in railroad charges and establish reasonable tariffs.” The agency’s responsibilities over the railroad were transferred to other agencies over time, with the last of their functions transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.
Don Huffines
Huffines is a former state senator from Dallas who has sharply criticized Texas’ handling of the pandemic and challenged Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the governor’s race in 2022.
Huffines said Friday he wants to “DOGE” Texas and is putting $10 million into the race because he was “in it to win.”
“I’m committing $10 million to this race on Day 1 because Texas taxpayers deserve a Comptroller who fights for them—and I’m in it to win,” Huffines said. “As comptroller, I will DOGE Texas by exposing waste, fraud, and abuse in government to increase efficiency and put every penny we save into property tax relief.”
Huffines said in his statement he’s “the only officeholder in Texas who refused to take a single penny of government money because he works for you—not the government.”
“Texans demand audits and accountability—just as President Trump fights corruption in Washington, I will fight waste in Austin,” Huffines said.
