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In next year’s midterms, one of the many seats up for grabs is a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission—which plays a key role in the oversight of the state’s oil and gas industries. One candidate for that position is now being blasted for switching parties at the last minute in that race.
Katherine Culbert has had an online presence since at least 2023 that shows regular involvement in left-wing movements and activism. She campaigned until recently for the Railroad Commission seat as a left-wing Democrat—even receiving endorsements from gay rights activism groups like the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio.
This resulted in many being shocked when she announced via X and Facebook that she had filed and would be running as a Republican in the 2026 race. One X user commented on the announcement, saying: “So you are being exposed as a fraud. Got it.”
Jared Woodfill with Conservative Republicans of Texas also blasted the last-minute switch, saying: “It’s the worst in a politician. It’s not gonna work. I mean, she’s crazy to even think she’s not gonna be called out on this.”
Woodfill also warned that Culbert could wind up in legal trouble due to her taking of money from Democrat donors before switching to the GOP. “Did she know all along that she was going to represent herself to Democrats as a leftist, take their money, and then at the last minute run as a Republican?” he explained. “There could be liability there.”
He added that he doesn’t think any voters are going to fall for this, and she’ll end up losing her race.
We’ve reached out to Culbert’s campaign about all of this, but as of publishing, they have not responded to our request for comment.