Texas Lauds BlackRock’s ‘King of Wall Street’ in Change of Tune

In a glitzy hotel in Houston on Tuesday morning, a key antagonist in Texas’ war against BlackRock Inc. flattered Larry Fink, declaring him to be the “king of Wall Street.”

Surrounded by energy-industry executives and money managers, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick took the stage with Fink, marking an unexpected alliance between one of the fastest growing US states and the world’s largest asset manager after Republicans there have made more than two years of pointed jabs at the company’s sustainability efforts.

Patrick has previously accused BlackRock of “capriciously” discriminating against the oil and natural gas industry, and the ...