Statewide GOP nominee Bo French sparks outrage after targeting UT football fans online
GOP Texas Candidate Bo French Faces Backlash Over UT Post
Texas GOP Railroad Commission nominee Bo French faces sharp criticism from Sen. John Cornyn and Democrats over social media posts targeting UT students celebrating a football win.
The Republican nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission is facing fierce backlash from within his own party after posting inflammatory remarks on social media about students celebrating a University of Texas football victory.
Online Backlash and Cornyn's Condemnation
Big picture view:
Bo French posted a photo on X showing a diverse group of students celebrating Texas' win over Ohio State, writing, "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."
More than an hour later, French reposted the same photo, adding, "Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It’s everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine."
The posts immediately drew sharp denunciations, most notably from U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who posted on social media: "This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized. This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad."
French fired back at Cornyn, stating, "Our state’s institutions have been overrun by illegal aliens and foreign nationals because of RINOs like John Cornyn who have cheered for them over our own citizens. He and the other America Last losers are mad that Texas Republicans are starting to put America First."
French's Democratic opponent in the race, State Rep. Jon Rosenthal, released a statement blasting the nominee's actions.
"I spent 25 years as an engineer in the oil and gas industry," Rosenthal said. "Bo French spent Sunday morning sorting our student section by skin color. Greg Abbott said Bo French would "wreck" our oil and gas industry. A man who can’t tell a Longhorn from a foreigner has no business regulating anything in TX."
Dig deeper:
Rosenthal's statement referenced a previous controversy from last year, when French posted a poll asking followers which group posed a bigger threat to America: Jews or Muslims. While Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called for French's resignation at that time, French apologized but refused to step down.
The Source: Information in this article is from the X accounts of Bo French, Senator John Cornyn and Jon Rosenthal.