The AP called the governor and U.S. Senate races for Democrats Gina Hinojosa and James Talarico. Here is what each office actually controls, what their records say about oil, gas and power, and where consumers should watch their wallets.

By Energy News Beat | Nov. 4, 2026 | Results as of 6:30 a.m. Central

Texans woke up Wednesday to a political map nobody in the oil patch has seen in more than 30 years. The question at kitchen tables from Midland to Beaumont is simple: what does it do to the light bill and the gas tank? Here is what we know, what we do not, and what to watch.

What was actually called

The Associated Press called the governor race for Democrat Gina Hinojosa over Gov. Greg Abbott at 10:17 p.m. Central on Tuesday, according to PBS NewsHour as reported locally. Abbott conceded. With about 96 percent of the expected vote counted at 6:30 a.m. Central, Hinojosa led 52.9 percent to 45.6 percent, a margin of 720,921 votes, per results tracking.

The AP and ABC News called the U.S. Senate race for state Rep. James Talarico over Attorney General Ken Paxton at 10:03 p.m. Central. At 6:30 a.m. he led 55.2 percent to 42.9 percent, by 1,204,423 votes, with about 96 percent counted, per results tracking. The AP reports he is the first Texas Democrat to win statewide in more than 30 years.

The race that matters most to the oil field went the same way. Democrat Jon Rosenthal, a Houston state representative and mechanical engineer, defeated Republican Bo French for the open Railroad Commission seat. Decision Desk HQ made its call at 11:21 p.m. Central; at 6:30 a.m. Rosenthal led 52.6 to 45.4 percent with about 95 percent counted, per results tracking. The AP also called the race early Wednesday; we could not confirm its exact call time.

The Texas Tribune reports Democrats also won lieutenant governor (Vikki Goodwin), attorney general (Nathan Johnson) and comptroller (Sarah Eckhardt), with Republicans expected to keep the Texas Senate. Control of the Texas House is too early to call: Texas Scorecard reports Democrats took it, but the Tribune described it as the night’s open question as of 1:59 a.m. Nationally, the AP projects Democrats will control both the U.S. House and Senate.

What a governor can and cannot change

A Texas governor does not set gasoline prices, which follow crude oil, refining margins and taxes. What the governor does control is people. As the Tribune notes, the governor appoints boards and commissions, calls special sessions and holds the veto. That includes the five Public Utility Commission commissioners and, through the PUC, oversight of ERCOT, the grid operator. Those appointments shape market design, reserve rules and who pays for new transmission, which all show up on power bills.

Hinojosa has made the power bill her signature promise. In a Sept. 18 statement she said: “On Day One as governor, I’ll freeze residential electricity rates and make corporations finally pay their fair share.” Most Texans in the competitive ERCOT market buy from retail providers whose prices are not set by the state, so how a freeze would work in practice is not yet clear. Any major change would also need a Legislature in which Republicans are expected to keep the Senate.

The governor does not run the Railroad Commission. Its three members are elected statewide on staggered six-year terms. Rosenthal will be one Democrat among three, so the commission stays two-to-one Republican. His platform calls for higher bonds on bad actors, faster orphan-well plugging, cutting flaring, and “No new permits for bad actors.” His campaign site says he wants to “streamline permitting processes and reduce costs for operators with good compliance history” and supports “All of the Above” energy.

Why the oil patch pays for the schools

Severance taxes are written in state law and the constitution, not by the governor alone. In fiscal 2025 the Comptroller’s cash data show $5.38 billion in oil production tax and $2.48 billion in natural gas production tax, together $7.86 billion. That is about 9.1 percent of the $86.4 billion in state tax collections, by our calculation from the same table. The state also collected $2.92 billion in oil, gas and mineral royalties, much of which flows to the Permanent School Fund and university endowments. The Comptroller reported the Rainy Day Fund at a record $24.8 billion, a fund that by law receives a share of oil and gas severance tax collections.

That is the practical limit on anyone who wants less drilling in Texas. Every barrel that is not produced is school money and rainy-day money that has to come from somewhere else, usually property or sales taxes.

What a senator can change

A U.S. senator votes on federal oil and gas leasing, the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act that the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut back, EPA budgets and rules on methane and power plants, and confirmations of the officials who run Interior and EPA. With Democrats projected to control both chambers, a Senator Talarico would be in the majority. Most Texas production is on private and state land, so federal leasing matters less here than in New Mexico, but EPA methane and air rules apply to every well.

Talarico’s campaign platform says he will “reinstate federal tax credits, loans, and other tools that diversify energy production and accelerate renewable energy development,” while promising an “all-of-the-above strategy that protects good-paying oil and gas jobs.” It also calls for making AI data centers cover their own grid costs and expanding the LIHEAP bill-help program.

What Talarico has said about oil and gas

At a February 2022 forum on Winter Storm Uri, Talarico said “fossil fuels are destroying the planet,” according to video reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. At the same forum he called oil and gas “a big part of our heritage” and said his great-grandfather worked the oil fields. In a 2020 Zoom call with Sierra Club activists he said, per Fox News: “We all know that Texas has been a leader in oil and gas, but in many ways that’s like being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s. That industry is not gonna last.”

Talarico has not proposed banning drilling, and he did not say he wants to “end oil and gas” in those words in any record we found. What he did do was author HB 2206, the 2021 Texas Climate Action Act. It would have capped state greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 90 percent below by 2050. It never left committee. Pressed this year, he told an attendee in footage published by Texas Scorecard: “You can be for oil and gas and be against greenhouse gas emissions.”

What the record says about prices

Texas power is cheap by national standards. In August 2026 Texas residential electricity averaged 15.91 cents a kilowatt-hour against a U.S. average of 18.16 cents, per EIA. California was 29.75 cents, New York 28.65 and Massachusetts 30.48. Low-cost producing neighbors Oklahoma and Louisiana were 14.82 and 12.87 cents. At the pump, AAA had Texas regular at $3.627 on Election Day, among the lowest in the country, against $5.889 in California and $4.149 nationally.

California is the case study most often cited, and the record there is documented by the state itself. The California Energy Commission estimates its Low Carbon Fuel Standard added about 17 cents a gallon and cap-and-trade about 25 cents in January 2026, on top of a 61.2-cent state excise tax. An industry estimate puts those programs at 24 and 28 cents in September. On power, the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office names wildfire costs, greenhouse gas programs and differences in utility structure as key reasons residential rates run close to double the rest of the nation, and separately flags rooftop-solar cost shifts. The CPUC found wildfire costs were about 27 percent of PG&E’s 2024 revenue requirement.

The fair reading cuts both ways. Policy clearly adds cents to California’s gallon and dollars to its bills. But geography, refinery isolation, wildfire liability and utility structure explain a lot of the gap too, and some of those do not translate to Texas. Low prices in Texas also reflect supply: abundant gas, a competitive power market and fast permitting for generation of every type.

What consumers and investors are watching

For households, the near-term watch list is the PUC appointments, any rate-freeze proposal and how the Legislature treats data-center grid costs. For producers and royalty owners, it is EPA methane rules under a Democratic Congress, any federal permitting deal, and whether a 2-1 Republican Railroad Commission keeps its current permitting pace. The AP attributed the national result in part to voter frustration over high prices, which gives every winner a reason to avoid anything that raises bills before 2028.

Caveats

Counts were still moving at our 6:30 a.m. Central cutoff, and margins narrowed through the night in every race we tracked. Texas House control is not settled. None of the winners takes office before January, and none of their energy proposals has bill text yet. State price comparisons show correlation, not cause: electricity prices reflect fuel mix, weather, wildfire exposure and market design as well as policy. Several quotes rely on video described by news outlets rather than full transcripts we could review.

Accountability Scorecard: launching the series

Starting today, Energy News Beat will track the energy votes and statements of the people Texans just elected, and compare them to what they promised on the trail. Every entry links to its record. The first scorecard follows; see the section titled Appendix, part C, for the full table.

Appendix

Sources, verbatim excerpts, data tables and methodology for this article. Results are as of 6:30 a.m. Central, Nov. 4, 2026, unless noted.

A. Sources, with links and access dates

All accessed Nov. 4, 2026, except AAA, read Nov. 3, 2026.

1. AP, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeats Greg Abbott in Texas governor race, updated Nov. 4, 2026. Link
2. AP, Democrat James Talarico flips a US Senate seat in Texas, updated Nov. 4, 2026. Link
3. AP, Democrats deliver a stunning rout in Texas, updated Nov. 4, 2026. Link
4. AP, Democrats win US House and Senate, taking full control of Congress, updated Nov. 4, 2026. Link
5. AP, 2026 midterm elections live updates, updated Nov. 4, 2026. Link
6. WFAA, AP calls Texas Senate race for James Talarico, updated 10:50 p.m. CST Nov. 3, 2026. Link
7. Katy-Fulshear Times, Hinojosa defeats Abbott (AP call time 11:17 p.m. EST, citing PBS NewsHour). Link
8. Results tracker (Exa election library), Texas governor results and call time, updated 6:30 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026. Link
9. Results tracker (Exa election library), Texas U.S. Senate results and call time, updated 6:30 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026. Link
10. Results tracker (Exa election library), Texas Railroad Commissioner results and call time, updated 6:30 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026. Link
11. Decision Desk HQ, Texas Railroad Commissioner, decision 12:21 a.m. EST Nov. 4, 2026. Link
12. Texas Tribune, Rosenthal defeats French for Railroad Commission, Nov. 4, 2026. Link
13. Spectrum News, Rosenthal defeats French, updated 5:55 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026. Link
14. Texas Secretary of State, unofficial results, Nov. 3, 2026 general election. Link
15. Texas Tribune, Democrats seize power in Texas, 1:59 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026. Link
16. Texas Scorecard, Republicans Lose Texas House, Keep Senate, Nov. 3, 2026. Link
17. Daily Caller News Foundation, What Talarico bill actually did, Oct. 16, 2026. Link
18. Fox News, resurfaced Talarico remarks on capitalism and oil and gas, 2026. Link
19. The Lever, Midterm Madness: James Talarico 28,000 dollar oil change, 2026. Link
20. Texas Scorecard, Talarico confronted over oil and gas, 2026. Link
21. Talarico campaign, Energy and environment issue page, accessed Nov. 4, 2026. Link
22. Texas Legislature Online, HB 2206 (87R) history, Texas Climate Action Act. Link
23. Legislative Reference Library, SB 13 (87R) history. Link
24. LegiScan, SB 13 House third reading, Record Vote 687, May 4, 2021. Link
25. Kleory record card citing Texas House Journal Records 637, 687 and 1620 on SB 13. Link
26. LegiScan, HB 17 (87R) vote list. Link
27. Hinojosa campaign statement on ERCOT pay, Sept. 18, 2026. Link
28. Rosenthal campaign, Stop the Waste and Clean Up the Mess. Link
29. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Rosenthal candidate questionnaire, Feb. 15, 2026. Link
30. EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, average price by state, data for August 2026. Link
31. AAA state gas price averages, read Nov. 3, 2026. Link
32. Texas Comptroller, State of Texas cash drilldown, fiscal 2025 revenue by object. Link
33. Texas Comptroller, Annual Cash Report release, Nov. 5, 2025. Link
34. Texas Oil and Gas Association, 2025 Energy and Economic Impact Report. Link
35. California Energy Commission, Estimated Gasoline Price Breakdown and Margins, updated Oct. 15, 2026. Link
36. Western States Petroleum Association, Taxes and fees at the pump, Oct. 8, 2026 (industry estimate). Link
37. California Legislative Analyst Office, Residential Electricity Rates in California, Jan. 2025. Link
38. California Public Utilities Commission, 2025 SB 695 report, Sept. 30, 2025. Link
39. Executive Order 13848, Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election, signed Sept. 12, 2018, 83 FR 46843 (Sept. 14, 2018). Link
40. Notice of Aug. 31, 2026, Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections, 91 FR 56547 (Sept. 2, 2026). Link

B. Excerpts of quotes and votes

“On Day One as governor, I’ll freeze residential electricity rates and make corporations finally pay their fair share.” (Hinojosa, Sept. 18, 2026) Link

“We all know that Texas has been a leader in oil and gas, but in many ways that’s like being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s. That industry is not gonna last.” (Talarico, 2020 Zoom call with Sierra Club activists, per Fox News) Link

Talarico made the remark [“Fossil fuels are destroying the planet”] at a February 2022 forum on Winter Storm Uri… He also said at the forum that oil and gas is “a big part of our heritage.” (DCNF) Link

“You can be for oil and gas and be against greenhouse gas emissions.” … “No, the goal is to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and that’s what we can do by also supporting oil and gas.” (Talarico, per Texas Scorecard footage) Link

“…an all-of-the-above strategy that protects good-paying oil and gas jobs and grows wind, solar, and geothermal.” (Talarico campaign) Link

The House Journal lists Talarico among the Nays on SB 13 at House passage (third reading), May 4, 2021 (Record 687, 105–40)… On May 28, 2021, Talarico voted yes on the final version, the conference committee report (Record 1620, 121–26). (Kleory) Link

“No new permits for bad actors” policy: suspend new drilling/injection permits for chronic violators until they remediate. (Rosenthal campaign) Link

Low Carbon Fuel Standard: adds about 17 cents (4%). Cap and Trade: adds about 25 cents (6%). (CEC, January 2026) Link

“Some of the key factors include: significant and increasing wildfire-related costs, the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs and policies, and differences in utility operational structures.” (LAO) Link

“Not later than 45 days after the conclusion of a United States election, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the heads of any other appropriate executive departments and agencies (agencies), shall conduct an assessment of any information indicating that a foreign government, or any person acting as an agent of or on behalf of a foreign government, has acted with the intent or purpose of interfering in that election. … The Director of National Intelligence shall deliver this assessment and appropriate supporting information to the President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.” (Executive Order 13848, Sec. 1(a); emergency continued Aug. 31, 2026) Link

C. Data tables, with as-of dates

C1. Race status, as of 6:30 a.m. CT Nov. 4, 2026

C2. Accountability Scorecard, first edition

C3. Residential electricity, August 2026, cents per kWh (EIA)

C4. Regular gasoline, Nov. 3, 2026, dollars a gallon (AAA)

C5. Texas fiscal 2025 oil and gas collections, billions (Comptroller)

C6. California gallon, cents. LCFS and cap-and-trade, January 2026 estimate; taxes and fees at current rates (CEC, data updated Oct. 15, 2026)

D. Methodology

1. Race calls: we report a race as called only where AP or a named major outlet or desk said so. Times converted to Central (EST minus one hour). Vote shares are from a results tracker updated at 6:30 a.m. CT Nov. 4 with about 95 to 96 percent of expected vote counted, and will change.
2. Electricity: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, residential, August 2026, cents per kilowatt-hour, preliminary.
3. Gasoline: AAA state averages for regular read on Nov. 3, 2026; the U.S. figure is AAA national average of $4.149 the same day.
4. Revenue share: oil plus natural gas production tax ($7.863 billion) divided by the sum of tax objects 03 through 23 in the Comptroller fiscal 2025 all-funds cash table ($86.365 billion) equals 9.1 percent. Energy News Beat calculation. Royalties are shown separately and are not a tax.
5. California components: CEC estimate for January 2026 for LCFS and cap-and-trade; excise taxes as stated by CEC. WSPA figures are an industry estimate shown for contrast.
6. Quotes: taken from the linked outlet or document. Where an outlet describes a video we did not review in full, we say so.

E. Could not verify

1. The exact AP call time for the Railroad Commission race; the AP called it early Nov. 4 per the Texas Tribune.
2. Exact AP call times for control of the U.S. House and Senate; outlets reported them without a stated time zone.
3. Control of the Texas House, and Republican control of the Texas Senate, which is expected but not called.
4. Hinojosa and Rosenthal individual votes on SB 13 and HB 17 from the House Journal; LegiScan pages did not render individual votes.
5. Talarico individual vote on HB 17 (2021).
6. Any Talarico statement in the words “end oil and gas.” We found statements that the industry “is not gonna last” and that fossil fuels are “destroying the planet,” not a stated plan to end it.
7. How a residential rate freeze would work in the competitive ERCOT retail market. No bill text exists.

F. Series: future accountability pieces

1. Gina Hinojosa: full Texas House energy voting record, 2017 to 2025, from the House Journal.
2. PUC and ERCOT board appointments: who is named and their record on reliability and price.
3. Talarico in the Senate: first votes on EPA methane rules, permitting reform and IRA credits.
4. Jon Rosenthal on the Railroad Commission: flaring, bonding and permit-time data, quarterly.
5. The 2027 Legislature: severance tax, Rainy Day Fund and Permanent School Fund votes by member.
6. Rate-freeze tracker: what was promised, what was filed, what passed, and what bills did.

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