Bo French shared a photo on X on Sunday showing students of South Asian descent cheering in burnt orange from the stands. The Longhorns had come from behind to upset Ohio State the night before. French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, wrote that the scene shows “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
A second post carried another photo of the students. “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” French wrote. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” According to the Texas Tribune, commenters pointed out that he had labeled the students “foreigners” based solely on the color of their skin.
They noted he had no information about the students’ status. Senator John Cornyn, who lost his primary to Attorney General Ken Paxton in May, called on other Republicans to speak up. “This is the Republican nominee for statewide office,” Cornyn wrote. “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.”
The rebukes came from inside his own party
House Speaker Dustin Burrows said opposing immigration policy is possible “without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity,” adding that the post “has crossed the line.” Former House Speaker Dade Phelan called French “unfit for office.” State Representative Drew Darby, who chairs the House Energy Resources committee, said he had “never seen conduct so unbecoming of a Railroad Commissioner or candidate in that time.”
Darby’s call for French to apologize came with a threat. “If not, I would remind any candidate that the Texas Legislature has granted the Railroad Commission broad discretion in carrying out its duties; because we have trusted the competence and fairness of those who serve. That trust can be revisited,” he wrote. Separately, Darby added: “If Mr. French wants to regulate immigration policy, he should have run for Congress.”
French did not retract anything. He called Cornyn a RINO, short for Republican in name only, accusing him of cheering for foreign nationals over American citizens. “He and the other America Last losers are mad that Texas Republicans are starting to put America First,” he wrote.
Others in the party defended him. Former Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi and state Representative Andy Hopper mostly turned their fire on Cornyn. Hopper derided the senator as a “smug globalist” who lost his primary by 28 points.
Governor Greg Abbott did not condemn the posts or call for their deletion. “A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory ever actually shows a way that Texans unite. … We unite under the brand of Texas,” Abbott said in a statement, adding that Texas can still “lead in having the toughest immigration laws of any state in America and freezing H1B visas at our universities.”
Jon Rosenthal, the Houston Democrat running against French in November, thanked Cornyn for speaking out. “It’s truly unfortunate that so many elected ‘leaders’ will just silently let this pass,” Rosenthal wrote.
James Talarico, who faces Paxton for the Senate seat, pressed the attorney general directly: “Will you condemn this blatant racism or will you cower to extremists?” Paxton responded that he condemns “racism in all of its forms,” without addressing French’s posts.
Texas Republicans including Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called on French to resign as Tarrant County chair last year. That came after he published a social media poll asking whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to America. Patrick backed French’s rival in the primary, then reportedly changed his stance after French won the runoff.
The University of Texas at Austin did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did French’s campaign. Patrick’s office and Cornyn’s office also did not immediately respond to questions.
Published: Sep 14, 2026 08:46 am