Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Republican Jim Wright had a solid lead over Democrat Chrysta Castañeda early Wednesday morning in the race for Texas Railroad Commissioner, according to unofficial results from Decision Desk HQ. Wright was ahead of Castañeda 53.4% to 43.2%, with an estimated 87.3% of votes counted. The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates the state's massive oil and gas industry, and its elected, three-member board has been entirely Republican for at least 25 years. Wright, who owns an oilfield waste services company, shockingly defeated the incumbent railroad commissioner, Ryan Sitton, in the March primary.

In a livestreamed Tuesday meeting, Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton and the board's chair, Christi Craddick, sparred over questions about the fate of the agency's executive director.