Overview
- Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a photo of University of Texas fans and wrote that the scene showed a “problem,” a post first shared on Sept. 13 that prompted swift criticism.
- Outgoing U.S. Senator John Cornyn and several state House Republicans publicly condemned the post as racist and urged GOP leaders to denounce it, while Governor Greg Abbott issued a muted statement that avoided calling for deletion.
- French refused to apologize and reposted the image, attacking critics as “RINOs” and repeating claims that Americans are being displaced by foreigners.
- Two students pictured in the photo publicly said they are U.S. citizens and called the targeting blatantly racist, and the episode produced an immediate fundraising bump and shifted attention in the Railroad Commission race.
- The incident highlights French’s history of xenophobic public remarks and matters because the Railroad Commission, which regulates Texas oil and gas, is a powerful statewide office and the controversy tests how far GOP leaders will tolerate extreme rhetoric.