In a state where pumpjacks bow against wide West Texas sunsets, oil has always been part of our story. Its profits have built towns, fed families, and shaped generations. But every long story needs someone willing to tend to the chapters left unfinished.
That’s where the slogan- “Hawk Dunlap for Texas Railroad Commissioner” comes in.
Hawk, is a 4th generation, “no nonsense, shake your hand” Oil Man who is also a sixth-generation Texan — and you can feel it. He carries the kind of quiet grit that only grows deep in Texas soil. An oilfield well control specialist by trade, he understands the industry from the inside out. He respects what it has given this state. And because he loves Texas, he refuses to ignore the aging and abandoned wells scattered across our ranchland.
Texas has tens of thousands of inactive and orphaned wells statewide. Many are secure. Some are not. Addressing them takes accountability, coordination, and pride. These wells are not political props to him. They are responsibilities. When seals fail and briny water seeps to the surface, it’s not about headlines — it’s about land, livestock, and legacy.
Hawk has taken to documenting these sites, explaining in plain terms what is happening and why it matters. He has been helping Texas landowners fight for their rights due to the leaking wells left by oil companies. One 22,000 acre in particular had 150 leaking wells.
Hawk also says that our groundwater in Texas is under threat by commercialization and contamination from idle wells, orphan wells and improperly plugged wells. He is afraid that if we don’t do a better job of retiring our assets it will lead to involvement from Washington and that’s not what Texas needs or will stand for.
Hawks cowboy boots on the ground mentality, steady voice and even some good ol’ boy humor is what makes him a great candidate. But what makes his story remarkable isn’t just his expertise — it’s his heart.
Hawk asked God for guidance in what was next for his life and the answer was clear: Leave Texas better and run for Railroad Commissioner. And in true Texas fashion, Hawk’s response was simple — “I’m your huckleberry.”
Anyone who responds to God with a Tombstone movie quote gets my vote — and any Texan worth their salt — knows exactly what that means.
It means he heard the call, will do what’s right by his state and “Never Surrender.”
As the sixth great-granddaughter of Davy Crockett, I know a little something about Texas grit and guardianship. Our history is full of pioneers who stood up when Texas needed defending. It only takes a second to recognize that same spirit in Hawk — He’s not blazing new trails across untouched land, but protecting what we already love about this great state.
Hawk is a modern-day pioneer — working not to conquer Texas, but to maintain her. And maybe that’s the point.
If we truly love Texas — her ranches, her water, her wide skies — then stewardship isn’t optional. It’s inherited. Hawk Dunlap is simply living out what generations before us understood: you leave things better than you found them.
Hawk Dunlap is ready to do the work as the new Texas Railroad Commissioner. The rest of us would do well to follow his lead.
Hawk Dunlap|hawk4texas.com