AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French faced criticism from several Republican leaders Sunday after he posted social media comments targeting South Asian students celebrating at a University of Texas football game.
French, a former Tarrant County Republican Party chair, shared a photo of South Asian students wearing burnt orange and cheering from the stands after Texas defeated Ohio State.
French said the image showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”
In another post featuring the same students, French wrote, “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
Commenters criticized French for calling the students “foreigners” without knowing their citizenship or immigration status.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary for reelection to Attorney General Ken Paxton in May, condemned French’s remarks and called on other Republicans to respond.
“This is the Republican nominee for statewide office,” Cornyn said. “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.”
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows also criticized French.
“You can oppose immigration policy without demeaning people because of their race or ethnicity — this post has crossed the line,” Burrows said.
Former House Speaker Dade Phelan called French “unfit for office,” while state Rep. Jared Patterson said Texans deserve Railroad Commissioners who focus on their duties instead of using a statewide campaign for “racial division.”
State Rep. Drew Darby also criticized French and urged him to apologize.
“If Mr. French wants to regulate immigration policy, he should have run for Congress,” Darby said.
French defended his comments and called Cornyn a “RINO,” or Republican in name only. He accused Cornyn and others of supporting foreign nationals over American citizens.
“He and the other America Last losers are mad that Texas Republicans are starting to put America First,” French said in a post.
Former Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi and state Rep. Andy Hopper defended French. Hopper criticized Cornyn and called him a “smug globalist.”
Gov. Greg Abbott did not directly condemn French’s comments. Instead, Abbott said the image showed how Texans unite around college football while also defending his administration’s immigration policies.
“A selective picture of Longhorn fans celebrating our biggest home victory-ever-actually shows a way that Texans unite. We all support our college football teams. The way we win the state is the same way we win football games. We unite under the brand of Texas,” Abbott said.
Abbott also cited his administration’s efforts to restrict immigration and pause new H-1B visa processing at state agencies and public universities.
French’s Democratic opponent, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston, thanked Cornyn for criticizing the remarks and said elected leaders should not remain silent.
The Texas Democratic Party also called on Abbott to condemn French’s comments. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate challenging Abbott, called French “unfit to serve.”
State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat running against Paxton for the U.S. Senate, asked Paxton whether he would condemn French’s remarks.
Paxton said he condemns “racism in all of its forms” but did not directly address French’s posts. Paxton previously endorsed French’s campaign and said he would be “a great Railroad Commissioner.”
The controversy comes amid broader Republican debates in Texas over immigration, including the H-1B visa program, which has been widely used among high-skilled Indian immigrants.
French has faced criticism from Texas Republicans before. Several state leaders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, called for his resignation as Tarrant County GOP chair last year after he posted a social media poll asking whether Jews or Muslims posed a greater threat to America.
Patrick later endorsed French’s opponent in the Republican primary for Railroad Commissioner but changed his position after French won the runoff.
Abbott also previously warned during the primary that French could “wreck the miracle” of Texas oil and gas production but has supported him in the general election.
French also received an endorsement Thursday from the Texas Oil & Gas Association PAC. Rosenthal criticized the endorsement and questioned whether the group supported French’s comments targeting the students.
The Railroad Commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, making the race a statewide contest with significant oversight of the state’s energy sector.