Texas GOP Nominees Face Mixed Reactions Over Controversial Remarks

<p>Republicans have responded in various ways to two Texas GOP nominees after one made a racist post about students of color and another faced backlash for vulgar comments about women. </p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>In a contentious midterm election, some candidates' past online remarks have not consistently resulted in a loss of party support.</p><ul><li><em>Warning: This story includes crude, sexually explicit language that may disturb some readers.</em></li></ul><hr /><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked on CNN about Brandon Herrera, a YouTuber-turned-candidate running for a Texas district, regarding his past vulgar comments, including a reference to a Nazi submachine gun as the "original ghetto blaster."</p><ul><li>In a 2023 clip aired on CNN's "State of the Union," Herrera addressed Moms Demand Action's Shannon Watts, stating, "Just because you let somebody cream-pie you doesn't mean I have to give a s--t about your political opinions. The fact that you kept your c-m trophy doesn't make you any less wrong about the dumb s--t that you say."</li><li>Johnson, who supported Herrera's campaign, described the language as "detestable" but praised his "very effective campaign," noting that Herrera's comments were part of his online persona.</li><li>Herrera is running for the seat previously held by ex-Rep. Tony Gonzales, who resigned in April after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. President Trump initially endorsed Gonzales but later supported Herrera.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out:</strong> Bo French, the Republican nominee for the state's Railroad Commission, faced criticism after sharing a photo of students of color at a Texas Longhorns' game.</p><ul><li>French wrote in the post, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined," which had received approximately 36.7 million views at the time of this article's publication.</li><li>In another post, he stated that "social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners." </li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> Senator John Cornyn criticized French's post, asking whether other Republican officials would condemn the intolerance and racism or ignore it. </p><ul><li>Representative Dan Crenshaw also criticized French's remarks.</li><li>Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico commended Cornyn's condemnation and urged GOP nominee Ken Paxton to do the same. Paxton did not address French's post but instead condemned Talarico for allegedly dividing Texans by race.</li><li>Texas Governor Greg Abbott did not directly condemn French's post but stated it was "not my message," while emphasizing his support for freezing H-1B visas at universities.</li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but: </strong>Other political figures have also faced scrutiny for past comments. Graham Platner's previous social media posts dismissing sexual assault and his Nazi symbol tattoo contributed to controversies surrounding his campaign.</p><ul><li>Despite earlier controversies, Platner secured the party's nomination and key endorsements before ultimately suspending his campaign.</li></ul><p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> As candidates' online histories increasingly impact their campaigns, Herrera and French have not retreated from their controversial remarks. French has continued to defend his comments despite calls from fellow Republicans to delete the post, while Herrera remarked on his crude comments, stating, "Man, I forgot I was this funny."</p><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/08/16/trump-vance-women-problem-voters">Behind the Curtain: Trump's "caught on tape" women problem</a></p>