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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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A Texas politician has come under scrutiny for filing as a Republican after raising money from Democrats.
Katherine Culbert, a former Democratic nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, has launched a 2026 campaign under the Republican banner, raising questions about candidate transparency and campaign fundraising practices.
It is understood that she used the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue to raise money for her campaign. The ActBlue team said it became aware late on Tuesday afternoon that Culbert had switched parties.
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Her account was then immediately delisted, and she raised no money on the platform between her announcement and the delisting, which was a matter of hours.
An ActBlue spokesperson told Newsweek: "We can confirm that Katherine Culbert is no longer in our directory and her fundraising page is disabled. ActBlue's platform is built to serve Democratic candidates and causes. We enforce that principle consistently, and anyone who no longer meets that criterion is no longer eligible to use our platform."
A spokesperson for the Railroad Commission of Texas told Newsweek the agency did not comment on campaign or election matters and that it was "committed to providing a consistent regulatory framework to one of the most productive energy regions in the world, while protecting public safety and the environment."
Newsweek has contacted Culbert for comment via X direct message.
Why It Matters
Critics allege that Culbert used Democratic-focused tools and platforms, including ActBlue and Democratic media, to raise money and grow her profile without disclosing her intention to run as a Republican, fueling debate over ethical standards in Texas political campaigns.
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What To Know
Culbert, an engineer with a background in improving safety and strengthening industrial processes, ran as the Democratic nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission in 2024, losing to incumbent Christi Craddick, a Republican, by 16.6 percentage points, according to Ballotpedia.
According to her 2024 campaign profile, Culbert highlighted her experience as a process safety engineer and her commitment to environmental protection, corporate accountability and transparency at the powerful state agency overseeing Texas' oil and gas industry.
She also received the endorsement of the Texas union group AFL-CIO, per Ballotpedia.
In advance of the 2026 election filing deadline, Culbert filed to run for the Texas Railroad Commission as a Republican.
She wrote on X: "I have officially filed to run for Texas Railroad Commissioner in the 2026 election cycle. Filing as a Republican, I am directing my campaign toward all Texans and stressing that effective statewide leadership must rise above partisan expectations."
Her announcement has sparked widespread backlash, with X users responding to her post by pointing out her previous Democratic ties.
One user, Blake Allen, an attorney, said: "I don't say this lightly but complete scumbag behavior to solicit donations via ActBlue (posing as a Democrat by doing so) to only then file for office as a Republican. If you donated to her, you should demand a refund."
Michael McLean, who called himself an "advocate for city building," wrote: "If you donated to her campaign through ActBlue you can get an automatic refund up to 45 days later. After that you can email ActBlue and they might be able to help claw back funds."
Critics and some Democratic activists allege that, prior to this announcement, Culbert continued to engage Democratic audiences—seeking inclusion in Democratic newsletters and blogs, promoting her website and social media profiles in Democratic circles, and using ActBlue, a crowdfunding platform popular among Democratic candidates.
Social media posts and coverage from both progressive and independent outlets noted changes to Culbert's campaign branding, including a color scheme shift on her website from purple to red, coinciding with her party filing. Her X profile header still had a purple color scheme at the time of writing.
Also at the time of writing, Culbert's campaign website highlighted priorities such as "affordability, responsible stewardship and a commitment to public service," maintaining a nonpartisan tone and avoiding explicit mention of party affiliation.
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What People Are Saying
Michelle H. Davis, a Democratic political blogger, wrote in a Substack post: "She used my platform, a Democratic platform, to get her website and social media out in front of thousands of Texas Democrats, boost her visibility, and pad her follower counts a full month before the filing deadline, all while knowing she had no intention of running as a Democrat at all."
She added: "It's one thing to switch parties. People do it. Sometimes for genuine ideological reasons, sometimes for political survival, sometimes for ego, sometimes because they think voters won't notice. But it's another thing entirely to ask a Democratic journalist to amplify your campaign under false pretenses so you can milk their audience and then turn around and run as a Republican."
Texas Railroad Commission candidate Katherine Culbert's campaign website said: "She believes Texas needs regulators who understand how systems function in the real world and who prioritize safety, affordability, and responsible stewardship. Katherine's approach is grounded in data, disciplined engineering practice, and a commitment to public service that puts Texans first."
What Happens Next
Culbert's switch has energized discussions among activists, donors, political strategists and observers about the ethical obligations of candidates in disclosing their political intentions to donors and supporters.
The Texas Railroad Commission's regulatory significance and the heightened political climate in the 2026 election cycle are likely to intensify scrutiny of both her campaign and broader fundraising practices statewide.
Update 12/11/25, 3:11 a.m. E.T.: This article was updated with additional information and comments from ActBlue and the Railroad Commission of Texas.
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