High-ranking Texas Republicans are publicly rebuking Bo French, the party’s nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, following a controversial online post that targeted Asian American students at a University of Texas sporting event.
The controversy began when French published an image on the social platform X showing students in the stands at a University of Texas football match. French added a caption asserting that he had previously heard reports about the demographic appearance of recent UT graduation ceremonies and claimed that the supposed demographic "problem" was significantly worse than previously imagined.
The picture in question captured fans celebrating a major athletic milestone, as the Longhorns secured a high-profile home victory over the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Rather than celebrating the sports achievement, French's post framed the visible presence of Asian American attendees in a negative light, quickly sparking a swift and visible division within the state's political establishment.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn was among the first prominent leaders to issue a forceful denunciation. Cornyn labeled French's remarks as overtly racist and expressed dismay that an individual chosen as a statewide Republican nominee would promote such sentiments.
Broadening his criticism to party leadership as a whole, Cornyn challenged fellow Republican elected officials to publicly reject the intolerance rather than ignore it. He cautioned that failing to confront such rhetoric risks normalizing racism, ultimately warning that this trajectory could cause great political organizations to self-destruct.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott likewise rejected French's framing of the image, offering a formal statement to clarify that French’s viewpoint does not represent his own. Abbott noted that the viral photograph highlighted how Texans of all backgrounds unite in support of their state collegiate teams following historic athletic triumphs.
While rebuffing the nominee's rhetoric, Abbott took the opportunity to maintain a firm posture on legal and border enforcement. He asserted that fostering unity under the Texas identity does not conflict with enforcing the nation's most stringent state-level immigration laws or enacting freezes on H1B visas within Texas universities.
The backlash also reverberated through the Texas House of Representatives, where multiple Republican lawmakers registered their disapproval. House Speaker Dustin Burrows made clear that legitimate debates over border and immigration policy should never be used as a pretext to demean individuals on the basis of their racial or ethnic heritage, stating that French had crossed an unacceptable line and ought to remove the message.
Representative Jared Patterson issued a sharp critique, stating that judging young Texans by the color of their skin and labeling them a problem conflicts fundamentally with both Christian and conservative principles. Patterson emphasized that the young people attending the match were students cheering on their school rather than political targets or props.
Similar demands for accountability were echoed by Representative Lacey Hull, who expressed heartbreak over the characterization of cheering college students and insisted that the crowd represented fellow Texans. In an even more direct response, Representative Jeff Leach publicly urged French to simply delete the message.
Despite the wave of condemnation from party leaders, French found defenders among certain conservative factions who redirected their ire toward French's critics. Former Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi attacked Cornyn's stance, arguing that traditional party officials have compromised the future of younger generations by enabling cheap labor and state handouts.
State Representative Andy Hopper joined in defending the candidate while escalating attacks against Cornyn, labeling the veteran senator a globalist figure responsible for allowing current demographic and policy conditions to take hold across Texas.
Meanwhile, other prominent state leaders offered more cautious or evasive responses. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is currently seeking to succeed Cornyn in the federal legislature, declined to address French's specific statements when approached for comment, choosing instead to launch a critique against his Democratic political rival.
The dispute over the football photo represents the latest in a series of incendiary public statements attributed to French. Earlier this year, the Railroad Commission nominee faced scrutiny for rhetoric suggesting that conservatives should cultivate fear toward Islam, alongside hard-line proposals urging the mass deportation of 100 million individuals.
As the controversy continues to unfold within the Texas Republican Party, representatives for French have not issued a formal clarification or response to inquiries. Inquiries directed to the office of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick regarding the matter similarly remained unanswered.
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