Echoing a new generation of Virginia Democrats who declared their independence from Dominion Energy, the preeminent power and energy company that has long dominated politics in the Old Dominion, a new generation of Texas Democrats are declaring their independence from the similarly dominant oil and natural gas industries in their state:
Some Democrats swear off oil and gas money, risking ‘third rail’ of Texas politics(…) Hernandez, who brought in roughly a quarter of the vote in her 2018 primary run against former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke, is one of at least three Democrats in the primary election who have sworn off taking money from the industry, unafraid of the message it might send to voters working in those jobs — hundreds of thousands in Houston alone.
They argue that Texas, the nation’s top producer of wind energy, can lead the nation in transitioning to all forms of clean energy as well, creating plenty of jobs in the process. And they say it’s a vitally important move in the face of a climate crisis, as evidenced by repeated massive floods hammering Houston in recent years.
It’s a new approach for Democrats in the state where oil and gas has long reigned supreme. Even Beto O’Rourke accepted hundreds of thousands in donations from the industry in his 2018 Senate run — bringing in the second-most in donations from the industry of any Senate candidate that year, behind only his rival, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Other Democrats in the Senate race have already accepted thousands from the industry, which they say will be a key partner in the eventual transition to clean energy.
