HOUSTON — Republican candidate for Texas railroad commissioner Bo French faces criticism from officials in both parties after he posted a photo of students of color at a University of Texas football game and described them as evidence of Americans being “displaced by foreigners.”
French posted the photo Sunday with the caption: “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.”
French defended the post Monday during an appearance on The Mark Davis Show, where he connected his comments to the debate over diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“We’ve talked about this in terms of DEI. Well, that’s what DEI was,” French said. “DEI was discriminating against deserving people, so that these liberal bureaucrat administrators at University of Texas and places like that could select their preferred groups of people. Well, that is what is racism.”
Republicans condemn French’s remarks
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, was among the first GOP officials to criticize French.
“This is the Republican nominee for statewide office,” Cornyn wrote on social media. “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.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston and Republican Harris County judge candidate Orlando Sanchez also condemned the post.
“Those young people in burnt orange weren’t a ‘problem,’” Sanchez wrote. “They were Texans celebrating a hard-fought victory. Judging fellow Americans by the color of their skin or assuming they’re ‘foreigners’ simply because they don’t look like you is wrong, un-American, and has no place in our party or our state.”
French has faced previous criticism
French previously faced calls to resign as chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party after he posted a statement last year describing Muslims and Jews as a threat to the United States. He rejected those calls.
Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston, who is running against French, also criticized the Republican candidate.
“This is true to form for him,” Rosenthal said, contrasting his own engineering background with what he described as French’s pattern of inflammatory social media posts.
Texas Republicans have won every statewide election for more than 30 years.
University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus, who studies political scandals, said the controversy could create a significant challenge for French because it follows previous incidents.
“This scandal certainly has legs because it is part of a continuous narrative about Bo French,” Rottinghaus said. He added that the issue could introduce French to many voters through the controversy because the story has gained national attention.