Key facts
- Bo French, Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a photo of University of Texas football fans on X, suggesting a large foreign student presence.
- French's remarks drew condemnation from fellow Republicans and Democrats, who characterized the posts as racist or xenophobic.
- Karl Rove, a Republican consultant, stated he will vote for French's Democratic rival, Jon Rosenthal.
- Texas Senator John Cornyn called French's posts "bigotry directed at our fellow Texans."
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated French's message was "not my message."
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, has drawn bipartisan criticism for social media posts that critics have labeled racist and xenophobic. French shared a photo from a University of Texas football game, suggesting the Austin campus is dominated by foreign students and that UT prioritizes them over Texans in admissions.
Enrollment data from UT Austin shows that international students constitute less than 10% of the total student body, with Texas residents making up 80.5%. French's remarks drew condemnation from fellow Republicans and Democrats, who characterized the posts as racist or xenophobic.
Karl Rove, a respected Republican consultant and former political adviser to President George W. Bush, stated he would vote for Houston Democrat Jon Rosenthal over French, breaking a 32-year streak of backing Republicans. Rove called French "a bigot" over the posts.
Texas Senator John Cornyn attacked French on X, writing, "The Republican Party is better than this. We should all condemn this bigotry directed at our fellow Texans or we will soon find ourselves a minority party." Governor Greg Abbott told Politico, "That is not my message." Republican state senator Lacey Hull urged French to remove the post, stating she saw "college kids cheering on their football team" and "Texans."
The chair of the university's board of regents, Kevin Eltife, said he saw "remarkable view" of Longhorn students and was proud of them. French, however, continued his approach, labeling critics "less conservative" and suggesting they were involved in efforts against him in the primary. He told host Mark Davis, "The establishment raised and spent $7[m] against me in the primary."