Former Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French, who has come under scrutiny for offensive comments targeting religious groups and for inflammatory social media posts, has advanced in the Republican primary for the Texas Railroad Commission, heading to a May runoff against incumbent Jim Wright.
In his social media post announcing his campaign, he wrote he was running for the commission to ”defend Texas, stop the Islamic invasion and defeat the left.”
“Just like I expect my elected officials to stand up for the values of Texans, that’s what I plan to do in office,” French told The Dallas Morning News late Tuesday evening. “My position is a reflection of the voters in Texas who are concerned about this.”
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Wright, who has served as chair of the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry since 2025, faced four Republicans in the GOP primary: oil worker Hawk Dunlap, engineer Katherine Culbert, consultant James Matlock and French.
Wright and French were neck-and-neck as results came in Tuesday with nearly a third of the vote each and almost 80% of expected votes counted. But neither received a majority of the vote. Primary runoffs take place May 26.
Wright’s campaign did not immediately respond to a phone call requesting comment Tuesday night.
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In his campaign for railroad commissioner, French has promised to defend Texas energy if elected, by ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies, deregulating, and stopping the influence of Islam and the Chinese Communist Party in the state’s oil industry.
Wright, a a fifth-generation South Texas rancher, said he’d seek to uphold high environmental and safety standards if reelected, while ensuring regulations don’t interfere with innovation and job creation.
French has faced backlash from other Republicans for using slurs for people with disabilities and gay people. Last summer, Republican leaders denounced French and called for him to resign from his post leading the Tarrant County Republican Party after he posted a social media poll on whether Muslims or Jews posed the “biggest threat to America.”
Just a month later, French singled out a Muslim state House member, asking federal officials to denaturalize and deport state Rep. Salman Bhojani, who was born in Pakistan and is a U.S. citizen.
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French, an entrepreneur, has called for mass deportations, including of Native Americans, and said online he hopes the U.S. government will “denaturalize and deport all the third world savages who hate our country.”
“People who know me and the people who follow my account know exactly who I am and what I believe,” French said. “What I say is a reflection of what people think and feel. I am proud to be an America-first warrior for the values of the people of Texas.”
The Texas Railroad Commission has three commissioners who serve six-year terms. The seats rotate in elections every two years. The commission oversees oil and gas production, pipelines, natural gas utilities and some mining.
State Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston was unopposed in the Democratic primary for the post.