San Antonio Express-News Editorial: After misguided Sarah Stogner video, Dawayne Tipton for railroad commissioner

We were disappointed to see a disgraceful TikTok video posted Sunday from Sarah Stogner, whom we recently recommended in the Republican primary for railroad commissioner. We rescind our recommendation. In the five-second clip, Stogner appears to be sitting semi-nude on top of a pump jack. Her campaign sign flashes over the song “Apache” by the SugarHill Gang, and a narrator says, “Stronger with Stogner, please vote early starting tomorrow.” Stogner’s accompanying comment made the video worse: “They said I needed money (smiley face emoji). I have other assets.” In a later tweet, she compared herself to the historic figure Lady Godiva. According to legend, Godiva rode a horse naked through town to convince her husband, an earl, to decrease taxes for the citizens.

We messaged Stogner over Facebook about the video. In response, she said she posted it as an attempt to get the attention of voters “with no campaign money.” She wants to draw attention to contaminated groundwater and misogyny in the oil and gas industry. We review social media, and Stogner would never have been our pick had the video appeared before we made our recommendation. In our candidate interview, Stogner, an attorney, spoke about the health and environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry, and echoed a familiar call for ethical reform of the Railroad Commission of Texas. She spoke at length about flaring and venting, water contamination and the potential for earthquakes. It’s painful to rescind a recommendation. But this is an opportunity to reaffirm our principles and expectations. We expect candidates for public office to model civil discourse and decorum worthy of the public’s trust. This was neither. Instead, it’s an indictment of these times that a candidate, even a marginal one, would appeal to potential voters in such a way via social media. We now recommend, Dawayne Tipton, a lifelong oilman.