Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, defended a series of social media posts targeting Asian students at the University of Texas, despite criticism from fellow Republicans. French's post on X featured a photograph of students celebrating Texas’ football victory over Ohio State and suggested that the students benefitted from discriminatory admissions practices. He stated, "Social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine."
In a radio interview on "The Mark Davis Show," French responded to backlash from figures including U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), saying, "I don’t have anything against the people specifically in that picture." He also noted that critics included individuals who had previously opposed him in the primary, stating, "The establishment raised and spent $7 million against me in the primary. Many of the people who criticized me yesterday were some of the same people involved in that effort. It’s no surprise that the less-conservative people in Texas are the ones attacking me."
French's original post was corrected in an X community note, which indicated that Texas state law mandates that at least 90% of the university’s freshmen be Texas residents, and that international students make up about 4% of the school's newcomers. Cornyn urged Republican officials to condemn French's posts, warning against the normalization of intolerance and racism, stating, "This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican, also criticized the posts and called for their removal, emphasizing that opposition to immigration policies does not justify disparaging individuals based on race or ethnicity. Texas Governor Greg Abbott distanced himself from French's comments while reiterating his support for immigration restrictions.
French is campaigning for the Texas railroad commissioner office, which regulates the state's oil and natural gas industry. He will face Democratic state Representative Jon Rosenthal in November, who has a background as an oil and gas engineer. Following French's remarks, Rosenthal reported $35,000 in contributions to his campaign, stating, "Bo French’s own party has said he is unfit for the office he seeks to hold — and Texans are putting their money behind the oil field engineer who is qualified for it." After his radio appearance, French attempted to leverage the controversy for fundraising, stating, "The radical left and their allies are attacking me. Join the thousands of patriots who are supporting our campaign."