Overview
- Bo French posted a photo and comment about a diverse University of Texas crowd that drew wide condemnation from both parties and a public rebuke from Sen. John Cornyn.
- The Texas Tribune reported that Karl Rove told an Austin Headliners Club audience on Monday he will vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal for the Texas Railroad Commission and called French a "bigot," a claim the reporter corroborated with three anonymous attendees.
- Rove reportedly said the last time he voted for a Democrat was for Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock in 1994, a detail used to underscore how rare this break with GOP nominees would be.
- President Donald Trump attacked Rove on Truth Social shortly after the report, calling him a "stone cold loser" and criticizing his Republican credentials.
- The Texas Railroad Commission is a powerful statewide regulatory body, and the episode could increase pressure on GOP leaders to endorse or repudiate nominees, reshape elite networks of influence in Texas, and affect how voters view party norms.