Overview
- Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, posted a racially charged image and caption about non-white University of Texas students on Sunday that questioned who belongs at the school and drew immediate national attention.
- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn publicly condemned the post as "intolerance and racism" and urged other Republican officials to denounce it, prompting swift calls for deletion from state House Speaker Dustin Burrows and multiple GOP state representatives.
- French refused to retract the post and responded by calling Cornyn a "RINO," arguing Texas institutions have been "overrun by illegal aliens and foreign nationals," and his campaign did not apologize.
- Gov. Greg Abbott declined a direct condemnation, saying the photo shows Texans uniting while reiterating his support for tougher immigration measures, and the Texas Oil & Gas Association PAC has continued to back French.
- The episode raises questions about French’s fitness for a powerful regulatory post that controls oil and gas policy, recalls his prior inflammatory remarks, and creates a potential liability for the statewide Republican ticket in the Nov. 3 general election.