Texas Republicans Clash Over Bo French's Xenophobic Social Media Posts

Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission Bo French sparked a wave of intra-party condemnation after posting photos of South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory. French characterized the students as foreigners who have displaced Americans, claiming the situation is far worse than anyone imagined and suggesting that university admissions prioritize foreigners over Texans.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows denounced the posts as intolerance and racism, with Burrows demanding the content be deleted. Former House Speaker Dade Phelan also described French as unfit for office. French responded by labeling Cornyn a RINO and an America Last loser, asserting that he is putting America First while claiming Texas institutions are overrun by foreign nationals.

Governor Greg Abbott stated the posts were not his message, though he declined to explicitly condemn French or call for the posts' removal. Abbott simultaneously defended the state's strict immigration laws and the freezing of H-1B visas. Attorney General Ken Paxton condemned racism in general terms but refused to specifically denounce French, instead accusing Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico of dividing the state by race.

Democratic candidates, including Jon Rosenthal and James Talarico, used the incident to criticize French's qualifications to regulate the state's oil and gas industry. Some hard-line conservatives and former GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi defended French or attacked Cornyn as a globalist.