Karl Rove Defects to Democrat Over Bo French Racism

Republican strategist Karl Rove announced he will vote for Democratic candidate Jon Rosenthal for the Texas Railroad Commission, citing the bigotry of the GOP nominee, Bo French. Rove made the announcement during a lunch at the Headliners Club in Austin, characterizing French as a bigot and noting that Rosenthal is a better fit for the state.

The defection follows social media posts by French targeting South Asian and non-white students at the University of Texas at Austin. French posted images of students at a football game and graduation, claiming that the displacement of Americans by foreigners is everywhere and far worse than imagined. While students described the posts as blatantly racist, French refused to apologize, instead labeling his critics as less conservative and claiming the radical left is attacking him.

High-ranking Republicans, including U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, denounced the rhetoric as intolerance and racism. Governor Greg Abbott stated the posts were not his message, though he attempted to frame the images as a sign of Texans uniting under college football. President Donald Trump attacked Rove on Truth Social, calling him a RINO and a stone cold loser who suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Party leaders expressed concern that French's rhetoric could undermine GOP gains with Hispanic and Asian American voters and negatively impact other high-profile races, including Governor Abbott's reelection bid, just 50 days before the election.