Ryan Sitton

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Ryan Sitton
File:Ryan Sitton.png
Sitton in 2013
Railroad Commissioner of Texas
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 4, 2021
GovernorGreg Abbott
Preceded byBarry T. Smitherman
Succeeded byJim Wright
Personal details
BornRyan Christopher Sitton
1975 (age 50–51)
Irving, Texas, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseJennifer Sitton
Children3
EducationTexas A&M University (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Ryan Christopher Sitton (born 1975) is an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party. He was a member of the Texas Railroad Commission from 2015 to 2021.

Personal life and education

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Sitton was raised in Irving, Texas with his three siblings by his mother and father, both high school science teachers. Sitton displayed a talent for math and science. Sitton attended Cistercian Preparatory School[1] and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University where he met his wife, Jennifer, also a mechanical engineering major.[2]

They now have three children and are active members of St. Andrews Episcopal Church.[3] In his spare time, Sitton is an avid fitness enthusiast, does P90X every day and maintains a collection of over 100,000 Legos.[4]

Business career

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Sitton spent his early career working for oil and gas companies, including ALCOA, Oxy, Marathon, and Berwanger Engineering and Consulting.[5] In 2006, the Sittons founded PinnacleART, an engineering and technology company.[6] PinnacleART operates on solar power with natural gas backups.[4]

Political career

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2012 Texas House of Representatives race

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In 2012, Sitton lost a runoff contest with fellow Republican Greg Bonnen in Galveston County for the District 24 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.[7]

Texas Railroad Commissioner

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Main articles: Texas elections, 2014 § Railroad Commissioner; and 2020 Texas elections § Railroad Commission

Incumbent officeholder Barry Smitherman decided to run, unsuccessfully, for state attorney general, thus creating an open seat. Sitton announced his candidacy for the Railroad Commission.

Sitton polled 398,652 votes (57.3 percent) to Christian's 297,654 (42.7 percent).[8] Sitton outspent Christian by a large amount.[9]

Sitton faced Steve Brown, a Democratic businessman from Houston, Libertarian Party candidate Mark Miller, and Green Party candidate Martina Salinas.[10] Sitton won the general election with 58% of the vote.[11]

Sitton was sworn in on January 5, 2015, succeeding outgoing Commissioner Barry Smitherman.[12][13] He is the first mechanical engineer to serve on the Commission in 50 years.[14][4]

In December 2016, Sitton praised President Donald Trump's choice for EPA head, Scott Pruitt, predicting that Trump and Pruitt's reduction of federal regulations would lead to an oil boom.[4]

In 2017, Sitton voted in favor of Exxon Mobil in a regulation issue. He did not, however, disclose that Exxon Mobil is a client of his company, PinnacleART. [15]

In 2019, Sitton was passed over for Railroad Commission chairman, a break from tradition since the incumbent closest to re-election is usually chosen.[16]

In 2020, Sitton lost the Republican primary for reelection to Jim Wright, despite having the support of the Texas governor, lieutenant governor, and both of the state's senators. Sitton's campaign had raised $2 million more than Wright's $13,000 campaign.[17][18]

Sitton played a significant role in the 2020 Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.[19][20]

In 2020, Sitton returned to work as CEO at PinnacleART.

Election history

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Ryan Sitton electoral history
2014
Railroad Commission, Republican Party Primary Runoff, May 27, 2014[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ryan Sitton 239,251 60.20
Republican Wayne Christian 158,147 39.79
Total votes 696,821 100
Railroad Commission, Republican primary results, March 04, 2014[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wayne Christian 503,634 42.68
Republican Ryan Sitton 360,125 30.52
Republican Becky Berger 198,672 16.83
Republican Malachi Boyuls 117,511 9.95
Total votes 1,179,942 100
2012
State Representative District 24, Republican Party Primary Runoff, July 31, 2012[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Bonnen 8,608 57.72
Republican Ryan Sitton 6,305 42.27
Total votes 14,913 100
State Representative District 24, Republican primary results, May 29, 2012[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Greg Bonnen 6,951 45.06
Republican Ryan Sitton 5,035 32.63
Republican Heidi Thiess 3,440 22.3
Total votes 15,426 100

Awards

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References

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  4. ^ a b c d Helman, Christopher. "Texas Oil Regulator: Trump EPA Pick Is Good At 'Breaking Down Worthless Organizations.'" Forbes. Dec. 9, 2016.
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  8. ^ Texas GOP Picks Ryan Sitton as Railroad Commissioner, KXAS-TV, May 27, 2014.
  9. ^ Grissom, Brandi. Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests, Texas Tribune, May 28, 2014.
  10. ^ News App: The 2014 Election Brackets, Texas Tribune, May 29, 2014.
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ (January 5, 2015) - "Ryan Sitton Sworn In as Railroad Commissioner". KVUE.com. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  13. ^ (January 5, 2015) - "Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton Sworn-In". Weatherford Democrat. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
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