Texas GOP candidate Bo French denounced by party leaders for racist posts about UT students

Texas Republican Railroad Commissioner nominee Bo French faces widespread condemnation from his own party, including Senator John Cornyn, after posting social media images of South Asian University of Texas students and calling them a "problem" of displacement. French doubled down on his remarks, attributing the backlash to establishment critics. The controversy has boosted fundraising for his Democratic opponent, Jon Rosenthal, in the race to regulate the state's oil and gas industry.

Bo French racist social media posts

• ▪Bo French posted a photo on X of University of Texas students celebrating in a crowd and wrote, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
• ▪Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad commissioner, posted a photo on X of South Asian students celebrating at a University of Texas at Austin football game, stating it showed "how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners."

Republican party condemnation

• ▪Texas State Representative Drew Darby condemned Bo French's post as "racism, plain and simple," stating he had never seen conduct so unbecoming of a Railroad Commissioner or candidate
• ▪Outgoing U.S. Senator John Cornyn immediately condemned Bo French's social media post as racist and called on other Republican officials to speak out
• ▪Texas State Representative Jeff Leach criticized Bo French's post as racist, sharing a photo of his own son and classmates at the game to counter French's remarks
• ▪The Texas Oil and Gas Association's political arm, which endorsed Bo French, agreed with House Speaker Dustin Burrows' statement that French's post crossed the line and should be deleted

French's defense of remarks

• ▪Bo French argued that the University of Texas at Austin and other institutions promote discriminatory enrollment practices that prioritize foreign students and workers over Americans
• ▪Bo French defended his social media remarks during an appearance on the Mark Davis Show, dismissing the backlash and claiming his critics were "less-conservative people in Texas."

French's prior controversies

• ▪While serving as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party, Bo French published a survey asking if Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to the United States, prompting Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to ask him to resign
• ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott privately told donors that Bo French would "wreck" the Texas oil and gas industry

Texas Railroad Commission context

• ▪The Texas Railroad Commission is a three-member regulatory body that oversees the state's oil and gas industry
• ▪Democratic candidate Jon Rosenthal stated that Bo French's remarks led to a fundraising boost of $35,000 from 500 new donors for Rosenthal's campaign
• ▪Bo French, who defeated incumbent Jim Wright in the Republican primary, faces Democratic candidate and oil field engineer Jon Rosenthal in the general election