Tarrant County Republican Party Chair Bo French speaks during a rally, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Mansfield.
Shafkat Anowar/Staff Photographer
Bo French, a far-right political activist, clinched the Republican nominee for Texas railroad commissioner this week over opposition from some in his party.
French beat out incumbent Jim Wright to vie for the top spot on the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency. French will face Democratic state Rep. Jon Rosenthal in November.
A Democrat has not served on the three-member commission in decades, but some see an opening after French’s victory.
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A long list of Republican party leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, endorsed French’s opponent. Major oil companies, including Chevron, poured money into a political action committee that supported Wright.
Still, French prevailed Tuesday night.
“I am deeply grateful for the support of TX Republicans across our state,” he wrote on X. “Our campaign focused on defending oil and gas, and putting America First—and that’s exactly what I will continue fighting for as we turn our attention to radical Democrat Jon Rosenthal.”
French did not respond to a phone call or text message Wednesday from The Dallas Morning News.
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Who is Bo French?
French, who represents the more extreme end of his party, is known for posting incendiary comments on social media. He has frequently disparaged Muslims and immigrants and blasted diversity, equity and inclusion measures, focusing his commissioner campaign largely on stopping what he called an “Islamic invasion.”
Throughout the campaign, French accused Wright of allowing “Sharia law” within the railroad commission and called him “Jihadi Jim.”
Much of French’s support came from political groups tied to influential West Texas conservative billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who have backed hard-line conservative causes and candidates across Texas politics.
French ran unsuccessfully for the Texas House twice before he was elected in 2023 to lead the Tarrant County GOP.
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Earlier this year, French called for fellow Republicans to openly embrace Islamophobia and for the U.S. to deport 100 million people, nearly a third of the country’s population.
Related: Anti-Islam candidate Bo French wins Texas GOP Railroad Commissioner runoff over incumbent Jim Wright
He has previously drawn public ire for using slurs, including “homo” and “retard.” Last year, he used what is considered a derogatory term against Black people in multiple posts about SNAP benefit cuts.
In June 2025, French provoked a firestorm after publishing a survey on X asking whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to the state. Several Republicans, including Patrick and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, called for his resignation.
French did not resign but said he regretted posting it.
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“Some people clearly misunderstood the intent,” French wrote on X at the time. “The poll has been deleted. I regret posting it.”
A month later, French targeted Texas Rep. Salman Bhojani, the first Muslim and South Asian state representative elected in Texas. In multiple posts, he called him an “anti-American democrat” who was trying to “further jihad.”
Bhojani, who represents parts of Arlington, Bedford and Euless, said he received threats as a result and hired private security for his parents, wife and children.
Related: The Texas oil industry is at war with itself — and a Railroad Commission seat is the prize