A social media post by a down-ballot Republican candidate is testing the Texas GOP’s effort to present a united front heading into an already competitive November election.
Bo French, the Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission, drew bipartisan criticism after posting a picture Sunday of the University of Texas at Austin student section celebrating the Longhorns’ victory over Ohio State. The students prominently pictured appeared to be of South Asian descent.
“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” French wrote.
French later made clear that his criticism was aimed at what he described as the displacement of Americans by foreign students.
“I weep for the families in Texas who can’t get into UT because they prioritize foreigners over Texans,” French wrote in a follow-up.
The photograph itself did not establish the citizenship or residency status of the people pictured. Reuters reported that international students make up 4.3 percent of UT Austin’s undergraduate population and that 80.5 percent of the university’s overall student population consists of Texas residents. Texas law also requires 90 percent of first-year students at the university to be Texas residents.
French’s comments quickly drew criticism from fellow Republicans.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, called on French to remove the post, saying Republicans should not demean people because of their race or ethnicity. Other Republican House members who criticized French included Lacey Hull of Houston, Drew Darby of San Angelo, Jeff Leach of Plano, Jared Patterson of Frisco, Matt Shaheen of Plano and former House Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont.
Gov. Greg Abbott also distanced himself from French’s message while emphasizing both Republican unity and his own immigration policies.
“That is not my message,” Abbott said. “A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory — ever — actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams. The way we win the state is the same way we win football games. We unite under the brand of Texas.”
Abbott added that Texas could pursue that approach while continuing to enforce restrictive immigration policies and freezing H-1B visas at state universities.
The controversy also spilled into the closely watched U.S. Senate contest between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico of Austin.
After Talarico challenged Paxton to condemn French’s comments, Paxton said he “condemn[s] racism in all its forms,” before turning his criticism toward his Democratic opponent. Paxton cited previous comments by Talarico about white men and Talarico’s statement that he prayed to overcome his own “whiteness.”
Outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in this year’s GOP primary, was more explicit in his criticism of French.
Cornyn described the controversy as involving “intolerance and racism” and asked whether other Republican officials would condemn French or allow such rhetoric to become normalized. He warned that such disputes can damage political parties.
Not every Republican sided with French’s critics. State Rep. Andy Hopper, who previously endorsed French, responded to Cornyn by calling the senator a “smug globalist.” French’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston, thanked Cornyn for speaking out.
The dispute creates an awkward situation for Republican leaders who spent much of the primary season opposing French before rallying behind him after he secured the nomination.
French, a former chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, forced incumbent Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright into a runoff after the March primary and narrowly defeated him in May. Wright had the support of much of the Republican establishment, including Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Burrows. French drew backing from conservative activists and lawmakers, including Turning Point Action, U.S. Rep. Keith Self and state Reps. Mitch Little, Brent Money, Andy Hopper and Wes Virdell.
The Railroad Commission is the state agency responsible for regulating Texas’ oil and natural gas industry, despite its name.
After French won the nomination, Republicans who had backed Wright moved to support the GOP nominee. Abbott, who had sharply criticized French during the primary, joined other Republican leaders in backing him following his victory.
That reconciliation became part of a broader GOP effort to demonstrate unity.
In late July, Abbott posted a photograph after a meeting of the party’s non-judicial statewide candidates, including French and Paxton. Abbott said it was the “first time ever” that all of the party’s statewide candidates had gathered to develop a strategy for the November election.
French’s latest social media controversy is now forcing some of those same Republicans to publicly criticize a candidate they endorsed only months after opposing him in the primary.
The Texas Oil and Gas Association’s political arm is also among the groups currently listed as endorsing French. The association represents a major portion of the state’s oil and gas industry.
French, meanwhile, has not backed away from the broader argument behind his posts. In a Monday radio appearance, he defended his criticism of university diversity and admissions practices, arguing that DEI policies had discriminated against deserving applicants.
